


Where to Begin

by Romiress



Series: More to Being a Father than Having a Kid [10]
Category: Batman: Arkham (Video Games), Batman: Arkham Knight Genesis (Comics), Deathstroke the Terminator (Comics), Power Girl (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Batman: Arkham (Video Games) Setting, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Discussion of Homophobia, Family Dynamics, Healthy Polyamory, Long Term Recovery Fic, Long Term Recovery of an Abuser, M/M, Multi, POV Slade Wilson, Polyamory Negotiations, Slade Wilson is a Good Parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-15 08:08:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 57,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21250160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Romiress/pseuds/Romiress
Summary: For Will, the worst is over, but that doesn't mean he's done growing. Whether he wants to or not, he still needs to figure out how to repair all the relationships he's broken.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to another part! I wanted to split this since the tone's going to change a bit, since Will is through... well, the initial part of his recovery.
> 
> Hopefully I can make you all love these new characters the way everyone loves the existing ones.
> 
> If you haven't, considered joining us over on [discord](https://discord.gg/kYvx6cd) to see some absolutely amazing fanart people have made!

There is a  _ lot _ happening, and Will would rather it not. Really, he'd much prefer if everyone just packed it in, went to bed, and got together to deal with shit in the morning.

No such luck with that though.

"Will?" Bruce says. "Did you even get the right... people?"

Slade takes one look at Power Girl's costume and reaches up to cover Damian's eyes.

Because there's no way he could mistake her for anyone else. Even if Power Girl hadn't been active for years before he left, she is  _ very _ hard to mistake for anyone else. He's not entirely clear what her deal is, but the important part is her connection to Tanya.

"That's the right person," Will says. "The other one's a tag-a-long. They weren't stuck in another dimension, they were stuck in  _ between _ dimensions, so I had to dislodge them."

"With... lightning powers," Slade mutters as Damian swats his hand away, making a face.

"Hello?" Power Girl calls, looking equal parts annoyed and baffled. "Is anyone going to answer my question?"

Tanya's half-hidden behind Power Girl, and Will takes a deep breath, stepping forward to approach them. At the very least he feels fine. Charged, he guesses, by the power of the Force he borrowed. "Just give us a moment. Things didn't quite work out how we'd planned."

"Mr. Wilson?" Tanya says, leaning around Power Girl, but when she sees him she goes stiff, jerking back.

She doesn't recognize him, he realizes. She thinks he's an imposter, or... something else.

"It's me," he says. "The same Slade you knew. Just... slightly changed."

Understatement of the century, and he watches the doubt wash across her face. He's got two eyes, for one. He's pretty sure the only reason she hasn't actually called bullshit is the fact that he's wearing the Ikon suit.

"Just... what is even happening?" She says. She sounds desperate. "Something cut me off..."

Cut her off? Will isn't following.

"We got your distress signal," Slade says. "If it was even meant as that."

"What?" Tanya and Power Girl say in unison.

"I'm calling an immediate moratorium to any attempt to explain things," Alfred says. "While you are all eager to figure out exactly what happened, I am far more concerned about their physical states. I have food and blankets already ready." He steps back, gesturing to his supplies, and Tanya squints at him in confusion.

She doesn't know any of these people, Will realizes. The only one she'd know is Tim, and knowing the Tim from their world is  _ not _ the same as knowing the Tim from this one. They're all strangers to her.

Except them. She knows him and Joey, and that's it.

Power Girl doesn't even have  _ that _ much.

"I think I'd... prefer not to eat anything right now," Tanya says, looking at Alfred warily. When he gestures to a blanket, she simply shakes her head.

"Seems like your moratorium is cancelled," Jason says. "Sorry Al."

"Worth the effort," he replies.

"Alright," Will says. "From the start. Joey and I—" He's pretty sure Thomas will just overcomplicate things, so he leaves him out. "—have been having dreams about you calling for help, Tanya. So we looked into this and figured out how to get you back. So now you're here, because I pulled you through."

Tanya squints at him. She's smart, but smart is only going to take her so far.

"...Tell me something only the man I know would know."

"You spend several days calling me Raptor because that idiot had spray painted my suit," Will says. "And I never bothered to correct you."

Tanya goes pale.

"You have... you have two eyes?"

"I got implants," he points out. "Donor eyes. That's not really the point here. How did you end up stuck?"

"I... I went after Karen. I'd heard—I guess it was the same way you heard me. I heard her, so I built something to let me go after her..."

Tanya trails off, looking down at herself.

"...how am I alive?" She asks, which is not a question Will was prepared to hear.

"...What?" Bruce asks, confused.

"When I went after Karen, I left my body behind. I should be a... a ghost? Or did you go get my body?"

Tanya looks up at him, and Will winces. There isn't going to be any easy way to explain this, is there?

"We're not in the same world," he says, cutting straight to the point. "We're in a different one. So your body was left behind back there. I don't have access to it."

"We're—we're in a different world?" Tanya says. She looks horrified.

_ "Again?" _ Karen groans. "I just went through with this! I just want to go home!" She throws her arms into the air and Bruce sighs beside him.

"Listen, there is a  _ lot _ you guys are going to need to be caught up on," Jason says. "But we're here to help. We know you've been trying to get help for a while—"

"What?" Tanya blurts. She looks more upset by the second.

"What... what part of that was confusing?" Jason asks, obviously taken aback.

Oh no. Will knows exactly what's happened. He should have known. Should have realized from how she acted.

"Tanya, how long were you in there?" He asks, and she looks at him in obvious confusion.

"I... I'm not sure. It's not like there's a clock or anything. Maybe an hour?"

An hour.

Joey nudges him and gives him a pained look, and even without speaking (or signing) there's a clear debate over who's going to tell her. Joey would make it softer, but there's some merit in having Will be the one delivering all the bad news.

In the end, it has to be him. Karen might not understand Joey.

"Tanya, you've been gone more than a year."

Tanya stumbles back like she's been punched, and Karen reaches out, catching her by the arm.

"I need to sit down," she murmurs. "I need to..."

Tanya simply sits down right there on the floor of the cave, burying her face in her hands. It's a lot. A year displaced and trapped in another dimension, and she doesn't even know all of it yet.

There's just so much  _ more. _ So many things she doesn't know. So many things he has to explain.

"I think it might be helpful if we started from square one," Damian says. "Since we don't know you, and you don't know most of us."

"Any of you," Karen says. "The only person I know is Tanya, and I've only known her for an hour."

What.

"But..." Will says, confused. "You're Power Girl."

"Obviously."

"She's not the same Karen who gave me her stuff before she left," Tanya says. She's still sitting on the floor, staring down at it, but apparently she's still willing to explain. "She's different. It was just..."

She doesn't even finish the sentence, burying her face in her hands.

"Alright, executive decision," Will says. "Tanya needs to rest. I'm dropping her in a guest room.  _ Someone _ needs to go get Clark, because I feel like he'd be very interested to know who we've got hanging out in the cave."

"Wait, Clark?" Karen asks, face brightening. "You have a Clark?"

"He practically lives in our backyard," Jason says. "The whole family's out there too."

Will heads over to Tanya, reaching out to take her arm. He helps boost her up, and she goes easily, looking dazed.

"Alright," he says. "Right this way and we'll get you some place you can sit down that isn't the floor."

It's easy to coax her up and out of the cave, leaving Bruce and the others to deal with Karen. He heads straight for the guest wing, popping open the first empty door and helping her inside.

"Bathroom over there," he says, pointing it out. "If you need anything, just yell. Otherwise, take all the time you need to just... relax. Take a deep breath."

"...Why are you being so nice," she asks, and her voice is nothing more than a croak. She's on the verge of tears, and Will knows exactly what he should do.

It's like the last five months have been leading up to this exact moment, and he pulls Tanya into a hug. She goes stiff for only a moment and then sags against him, finally letting herself cry.


	2. Chapter 2

Will does his best to be nice, but it's not exactly easy. She looks exhausted, and when she lets go he simply lets her ease back into the bed.

"Rest," he says. "We'll be outside when you're ready." There are things he wants to tell her, but stacking them on her already obviously fragile emotional state isn't exactly a great idea.

He isn't surprised to find Clark in the kitchen, although he is surprised that he hasn't brought his wife or any of his kids. Probably a better safe than sorry scenario. The conversation dies as he heads into the room, everyone turning to face him, and he waves off the looks of concern.

"She's resting," he says. "Give her a bit and then we can sit her down and try and explain things. What have we covered already?"

"This is Kara," Clark says. "Kara Zor-L. She's my cousin."

"Sort of," Kara says, "and Karen is fine, honestly."

"What's the sort of, exactly?" Will asks, grabbing a seat by the kitchen island. He suspects he's already missed a lot of good information, but it does mean he's also skipped most of the confusion.

"She's from..." Clark pauses, trying to put it in his own thoughts. "She's from another dimension, but not the one you're from. She is... It's a bit confusing and we haven't quite figured it out."

"She was originally from a world we'll call Earth F," Bruce says. "She got lost into Earth E, which is a lot like the one we call Earth B, but had a bunch of differences. She then tried to go home, and got stuck."

"You way oversimplified," Kara says. "There's—"

"Those are the important bits," Slade says flatly. "What matters most is that you are  _ a _ Kara, but you're not the Kara from any world we've dealt with. You're not the one the other Power Girl knows."

Kara grumbles a bit at that.

"I'm honestly just happy you're here," Clark says. "I've never met someone from Krypton before, and there's a lot I don't know. I'm sure the boys—"

"Clark, you haven't told her about the boys," Bruce gently reminds him, and Clark startles.

"I didn't tell you about the boys!" He confirms. "Hold on, you need to meet them."

He reaches out, grabbing Kara's hand, and then tugs her towards the back door. Slade and Bruce exchange an obvious look of  _ I can't believe this, _ but in the end they all seem to decide to just let him go.

"...He'll be back," Bruce mutters as Clark leaves. "Let him show off his family."

_ How's Tanya? _ Joey signs, his face pinched with worry.

"She needs some rest," Will says, which is the understatement of the year. "I told her to come out when she's ready, and I'll check in on her if she hasn't shown up in a bit."

"So, just to make sure we're all on the same page. This is someone you..." Bruce trails off, unsure of what to say. "...Are friends with?"

_ Tanya was on Defiance, _ Joey signs.  _ She knew me from that, but she knew pop even before that. _

"Doesn't really answer the question," Slade says. "What kind of terms were you on with her...?"

That strikes Will as the kind of question someone should have asked  _ before _ they rescued her, but it wasn't as if they'd have just left her to rot if he said he was on bad terms.

"It's complicated," he says.

_ As complicated as any relationship with pop was, _ Joey signs, ratting him out.  _ She looked up to him, but he wasn't exactly returning the feelings in a healthy manner. _

"That's for me and her to sort out," Will says before Joey can throw him under the bus any further. "It's hard to say how things will be. I'm more aware of how she's probably feeling, but to her I'm almost a stranger. Two eyes, new world, a half decent relationship with my son..."

He's changed a lot.

"I'm sure she'll adjust just fine," Jason says. "But she's probably going to want to go home."

"Not really an option, is it?" Slade says. "Unless the other universe manages to restore contact with us, we're out of luck. She's going to just have to stay here."

"Here in this world," Bruce says. "Not necessarily with us. If she wants her own space, I'll talk to Diana and see what can be done with her."

"I think it's foolish to begin planning for things so early," Damian says. "There's no point in getting worked up when she might be perfectly happy to stay here. Joey  _ did _ say she looked up to Will, although I can't imagine why."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Will mutters. "All we can do is wait and see."

It feels strange to go and start making lunch, but it's not as if there's anything else he particularly has to do. Tanya is a matter of waiting, and the other one... well, he figures Clark will show back up with her before  _ too _ long.

He's wrong, to an extent, on both accounts. Clark still isn't back by the time he calls everyone for lunch, and Tanya still hasn't emerged from her room. He drags the meal out, hoping to hear the sound of a door opening, but it doesn't come.

Bruce is giving him a look that he doesn't like, and Will lets out a sigh.

"I'll make a plate for her and get her to eat it," Will says. "She's going to need food."

"Be gentle," Bruce says.

"I can be gentle."

"You can't really, but I'm sure she'll appreciate the attempt," Slade says, and Will shoots him a dirty look.


	3. Chapter 3

He's fully planning to just take the food he's already made to her, but Alfred pulls him aside and gives him a look that says he disapproves.

"...What?"

"That would be hard on her stomach if she isn't feeling well," Alfred says. "Something easier might be better."

In the end, he makes what he remembers Grant liking when he was sick: grilled cheese and a bowl of tomato soup. It gives him a bit more time to relax, which is nice, and he's in an alright mood when he stops in front of the door, knocking once.

There's no response, and he's about to just open the door when he remembers Bruce's reminder to _ be gentle, _ and he knocks again.

"...Hello?" A voice calls softly from inside, and Will takes that as his excuse to let himself in.

Tanya's sitting up in bed, her legs tucked under the blankets. She looks ashy, almost sickly, and it's obvious she's been crying.

"Brought you food," he says. He figures the smell will be pretty self explanatory. "Figured you'd want something to get your energy up."

She looks at him like she's looking at a dangerous animal. Like she's expecting him to attack at any moment.

He sets the food down on the side table and  _ hmphs. _

"Ready to talk?"

"No," she says quietly. "But I probably don't have much choice."

She doesn't. Not really. He can't just let her hide away in a bedroom (is it her bedroom? He supposes it probably is) forever.

"More or less," he says. "There's a lot of details you need to hear about."

"Who—" She falters mid-question, obviously nervous, and looks away, her eyes on the floor.

"Go on," he prompts. He suspects what she's going to ask, but he's been surprised before.

"Who were they?"

Ah. It's a complicated question, and Will takes a moment to try and pull his thoughts together.

"You know Joey," he says. "That's the same one you know. The rest are... Well, the other guy with white hair is this world's version of me. The rest of them are his family—"

Wait, crap, wasn't that a thing? That she wasn't comfortable around  _ homosexual people? _

Well, she's just going to have to get over that, because it's not like she has a ton of options.

"—and they're your hosts," he finishes. "The older looking one who wasn't Slade and wasn't the butler is this world's Batman."

"What?" She yelps, head whipping up. "Batman?"

Everyone knows Batman. Even worse, Tanya probably looks  _ up _ to Batman, and eventually she's going to learn that he was a walking disaster back in their own world.

"Batman," he confirms. "In this world, the fact that he was Batman is public knowledge. He's also retired." It's a lot to sink in, so he takes a moment to let her process it before continuing. She's a smart girl, after all.

"This world's Batman and the Gotham Knight—that's their Slade—got swapped with me and our world's Batman by accident. Misfire of an interdimensional transport device. They spent a few days running around over there, and ended up bringing people back over when me'n the Bat swapped back. One of the people they brought over was Joey, and when I had a chance, I followed him back here."

There is a lot. A lot of details. A lot of nuances. But he's trying to give her the point form notes on things, and she can fill the rest in later.

"As for you," he says, "you... died, basically. Wallace found your body, and the whole thing was a bit of a mess. Tore the team apart, so I went back to being Deathstroke after that. It's been a long time since that though. A long while."

"And they all think I'm dead," she says, her voice barely a whisper. "They still do."

"Yeah," he says. He's not going to mince words or lie to her about something like that. "We all basically thought you'd killed yourself."

"I would—I would  _ never,  _ that's—"

"Yeah, I get that now," Will says. "At the time, it was pretty hard to deny that you'd built a machine that would let you bypass your own resistances and appeared to be dead. Pretty damned solid proof."

She pulls her legs up even closer to her, wrapping her arms around her knees as she buries her face in them, taking several deep breaths. She looks so small, tiny compared to anyone else in the house.

"Did you figure out how that happened?" He asks. He figures she probably did—she's smart like that.

"My powers," she mumbles. "My powers were like a shield around me. They protected me. But I think I... I think I left them behind when my body was cut off."

When she—ah, crap.

"You lost them?"

She nods. He doesn't need to ask how she knows, because there's plenty of simple tests he can think of she's already gone through. If Tanya says her powers aren't working, then her powers aren't working, full stop.

"Well, we can figure that out," he says, which he realizes a moment too late might very well be a lie. He's never been clear on how exactly she got her powers. For all he knows, she's lost them for good. "And if we can't, it won't matter much. It's a hell of a lot safer here."

"Where is... here, exactly? I know you mean the other world, but..."

"Gotham," he says. "Wayne Manor."

Tanya lifts her head to squint at him. Bizarrely, she doesn't actually look like she believes him.

"...Are you trying to imply that  _ Bruce Wayne _ is Batman?"

"And the Robin you worked with on the Titans is one of his kids."

"I... this is a lot," Tanya mumbles.

"I know, kid," Will says. "It's a lot for most people." Not for him, but for  _ most. _ He's realistic about that much at least. "When you're ready, you can come out and meet them, and we can talk about the situation a bit. Help you get the lay of the land."

Tanya's squinting at him again, and he knows what's coming.

"Why are you... you're very..."

"Different?" Will finishes. "Yeah. I figured I'd get that a lot. I've had a lot of time to think about things. Get my priorities in order."

She doesn't look like she believes him, and Will huffs.

"You can ask Joey," he says. "He'll vouch for me." It's difficult to miss the flinch that crosses her face, and he nearly pushes for clarification before remembering he  _ isn't _ supposed to be pushing that far.

"I'm going to go take a shower," he says. "Get something comfy to wear. Not sure how much we'll have in your size, but I'll get Alfred to drop some off for you."

"...Alfred?"

"The butler. Long story, but you can meet him properly when you're ready to come out, alright?"

She stares at him for a long, long moment, and then finally nods.

"Alright," she says, and he slaps her on the shoulder, making her wince.

"Perfect," he says. "Then I'll see you when you're done."


	4. Chapter 4

When Will showers, he makes a point of neatly cleaning his Ikon suit before sticking it in his closet. If Slade wants it back, he's going to have to fight him for it, because the damn thing doesn't even fit him perfectly. It was  _ made _ for Will, and while Slade can use it without needing an extra battery, it's still not meant for him.

Tanya isn't out when he emerges, which isn't all that surprising, but he hears the sound of the door opening before long. He glances around the corner, well aware the house's layout takes a bit of getting used to, but does wait for her to approach on her own. Her clothes are too big—overly baggy and obviously hand me downs from the boys—but they look comfortable and that's what's important.

She also looks nervous, which he pretty much expected.

"A few people are busy," he says. "So you'll be meeting them in bits and pieces. Bruce is in his office if you want to talk about more official things, or... pretty much anyone. You want the tour?"

"I'd rather... handle things officially," she says. "I want to know what's happening, and the tour can... I mean, it can come later." The unspoken words are  _ I don't know if I'm staying, _ so he gestures down the hall before leading the way to Bruce's office.

Bruce is on the phone when he knocks, and makes them wait a moment before he waves them in.

"Diana," he says. "I had to get cards in order for her and Karen before anything else."

Even though no one gestured for her to do so, Tanya takes a seat in front of the desk. She looks like a high schooler who just got pulled into the principal's office and isn't sure if she's in trouble or not.

Not that Tanya was ever the type to get in trouble.

"I understand you knew Will and Joey," Bruce says. It's clear he's putting an effort into looking as approachable as possible.

"I know... Joey," she confirms, before glancing up at Slade where he leans against the wall, watching the proceedings. "And him."

"William Wilson," Bruce clarifies. "You knew him as Slade Wilson. Since this world already has a Slade, he changed his name to avoid any confusion. The public... ah, thinks he's Slade's brother in the other dimension."

"The public," Tanya says, sounding less convinced by the second. "This is really public?"

"Obviously not you and Karen," Bruce clarifies, "but the existence of other worlds and our identities... yes."

"Is it because of your scar?"

"Told you she was smart," Will says.

"You didn't, but I can imagine," Bruce says with a snort. "Yes, it was partially because of my scar." He reaches a hand up, tapping the scar on his face with a finger. "The injury, sustained while in costume, was very public. Appearing with a scar in the same place would have been suspicious, and it seemed like... around the right time."

"...Wow," Tanya says quietly. "Not something I'd expect to ever hear from the Batman."

"Please," he says, "Bruce is fine. You're our guest."

Tanya doesn't look terribly comfortable with that, but nods anyway.

"Now, I imagine Will's explained the general... idea of things," Bruce says, picking his words carefully. "Right?"

"I did," Will says. "Lots had to get skimmed over. There's a lot of it, obviously."

"Obviously," Bruce says. "I'll get straight to the point then Tanya. Right now we don't have any way to get you back to your own dimension. Part of the circumstances that led to your rescue were us getting cut off ourselves. I understand this isn't ideal for you in any way, but we'd like to offer what help we can. We have guest rooms, and anything you need, we're happy to provide."

Will is sure she'd have cried if she hadn't already spent the whole morning crying. As it stands, she's already cried herself out, and she's made of tougher stuff than that. She nods once, then takes a deep breath before answering.

"Thank you," she says. "I know you aren't under any obligation to help, but... it's appreciated. I think I'll just need a bit to adjust, and then I can get back on my feet."

"Of course," he says. "Alfred's already setting you up in the guest room, and he's send Slade to go get some clothes."

"They all... live here?"

"It's a big house," Bruce says with a smile. "It's myself, Slade, Will, Alfred, Jason, Joey, and Damian here."

Tanya makes a face and Will is  _ sure _ her first thought is  _ boy that's a lot of men. _

"Superman and his family are our neighbours. You'll probably see them around, but right now they're probably giving Karen the same conversation."

Will guesses that it's possible that Karen might come stay with them... but doubtful. Clark's probably tripping over himself to get her to stay.

"So what... should I do?" She asks carefully.

"Whatever you want," he says. "Whatever will help you adjust."

"Do you... could I use the internet?"

Bruce seems momentarily taken aback.

"I could get you a computer, if that's what you mean," he says.

Will knows that wasn't what she meant. She's still thinking in terms of their old world, of information diets and restrictions. She probably just wants to research.

"Fastest way to figure out what the world's like," Will says. "Checking the news will get you a lot of information. Reading through wikipedia articles will get you plenty more. It's not all accurate, but it's accurate  _ enough." _

"What's not accurate, exactly?"

He  _ almost _ says that he'll tell her after, but she can figure it out even without context.

"Slade was Deathstroke, for one. The world's convinced they're separate people. He got a pardon from the government or something along those lines."

"He's a founding member of the Justice League," Bruce clarifies, and Tanya looks like she's about to fall out of her chair.

_ "Slade _ helped found the Justice League?"

"They were founded much later than you were used to," Will points out. "There's a lot different."

They head down to the cave (Will pointedly ignores the large scorch mark on the cave floor) and fetch her a laptop. Tanya doesn't quite look like she believes it, even when she has it in her arms, and Bruce waves around the cave.

"You can read down here if you want," he says, "but the signal strength isn't the greatest. The library might be best."

"I'll show you there," Will says. She'll probably like the library the same way Jason does, and he gestures for her to head up the stairs before following after.

He doesn't give her the full tour—she seems a bit hesitant for that—but does give her a general run down.

"Guest wing down there," he says. "Ballrooms over there. Family wing with all the bedroom's on the far side of the house. Most important room is the kitchen, right here... kind of serves as the family hub since it's so close to the center of the house."

She does, in fact, like the library, and he makes sure she's good and comfortable before leaving her to it. He very nearly runs into Bruce as he leaves, raising an eyebrow at how  _ in his space _ Bruce is.

Is it a dating thing? Is he going to try and make out with him or something?

"I know you're still struggling with some of this," Bruce says, "so this is your hint that you should talk to your son."

Will's eyebrows furrow together. "...Joey?"

Bruce rolls his eyes. "Yes, Joey. He's been extra quiet since Tanya got here, and there's obviously something going on. Normally he'd be going out of his way to volunteer to show her around since he knows her, but he's been keeping his distance."

Will hadn't noticed, but now that Bruce has pointed it out, it's impossible to miss.

"I'll go find him," he says. "...Thanks."

Bruce claps him on the shoulder.

"You're trying," he says. "Just keep trying and we won't have an issue."


	5. Chapter 5

To Will's complete lack of surprise, Joey's with Jason when he finds them. Joey isn't anywhere in the house he looks, so he takes a moment to center himself and then heads to Jason and Joey's bedroom door, knocking once.

There's a pause, and then Jason pops open the door, squinting at him.

"...Joey available to talk?" Will asks, relieved Jason has a shirt on.

Jason glances over his shoulder, obviously watching Joey sign something, and then turns back to him. "Sure," he says. "He'll meet you over in the kitchen."

It takes almost five minutes for Joey to show up. He  _ looks _ fine, which makes Will wonder if Bruce wasn't wrong, but the way Joey pauses, his eyes scanning the room like he's looking for someone puts that to rest.

It's hard not to wonder if Joey's jealous that Will's attention is suddenly split.

"You doing alright?" Will asks, and Joey grabs a seat at the island, looking him over.

_ Doing fine, _ he signs.  _ Was just a tiring morning. _

"You've been acting kind of strange since Tanya showed up."

Which gets another round of squinting and a less than exciting answer.

_ I didn't think you'd notice. _

"I didn't," Will says. No point in hiding it, not when Bruce could out him at any moment. "Bruce pointed it out to me."

Joey cracks a smile at that.

_ At least you're honest, _ he signs.  _ I'm just thinking about... Tanya. Do you remember what happened right before... well, before we thought she killed herself? _

"Remembered implied I ever knew," he said. "There was some kind of a fight, she was right on the edge... all that. I didn't exactly get the full story from your mother."

_ Tanya came to my room for some reason, _ Joey signs.  _ She saw Terrence and... I don't know. I was asleep for it, so I missed what exactly happened. She said something homophobic to ma, and ma flipped out on her, and then ma went to wake me up to tell me Defiance was going to leave and Tanya was getting kicked out, so I went to yell at Tanya, and then... well, you know what happened. _

Will isn't entirely sure he's clear on what the issue was. Is the issue that she might be homophobic? Is the issue that Joey doesn't know? Is  _ everything _ just kind of an issue?

Maybe it's better to ask.

"What's on your mind exactly?"

Joey makes a face which makes it clear that Will's question wasn't the one he was hoping for, but he answers anyway.

_ I don't even remember what I said to her, _ he signs.  _ I was in a lot of pain and feeling awful, and I probably said something really awful to her based on... I mean, I don't even know what she said. Ma wasn't exactly the most reliable source. _

Will wants to think Adeline wouldn't make things up, but he knows better than to think she was in any way above twisting people's words.

"So talk to her about it," he says.

_ That's the problem, _ he signs.  _ For me this was a year ago. For her this wasn't even twelve hours ago. She probably could tell you exactly what I said to her word for word. How do I even apologize to her? _

"Well, you don't, for one," Will says flatly. "You find out what you may or may not have done and  _ then _ you think about apologizing. For all you know she did say something awful and you were right to be angry with her."

_ But she—  _ Joey signs, and then stops himself abruptly.

"She didn't," Will says flatly. "You've been operating under the assumption that what you said was so bad it contributed to her downward spiral, but that wasn't true. So you go into this the way you'd go into a business meeting. Wait for them to show their cards and work from there. She's probably just happy to have a familiar face."

_ Maybe, _ Joey signs.  _ What if she's not? I mean, what if ma wasn't lying? _

"Joey, she's in a house owned by a gay couple," Will says. "If she's got an issue with people who are gay, she'll move out on her own in record time. That's not something you're going to have to worry about for sure."

Joey smiles a bit at that, and then leans over to rest against Will.

"So don't stress about it," Will finishes.

_ Easier said than done. _

Slade gets back with clothes not long after, and Alfred enlists Will's help getting the room set up and the closet sorted out. There seems to be a suspiciously large number of things to do, and eventually Will simply declares he's going to get Tanya and leaves.

She's in the library, of course, buried in her research, but she looks up when he knocks pointedly at the door to draw her attention.

"You need to start meeting people," he says. "At least to know their names."

"I know your name," she says. "And Joseph—"

"Joey," he corrects. "Joseph was this world's Slade's son. We try and... keep them seperate."

"And Joey," she corrects. "And Bruce, I guess."

"Well you're not even halfway there," Will says. "Come on. You can come back to the research later."

Alfred seems like a nice, safe place to start. As far as Will can tell there's never actually been a person who  _ didn't _ like Alfred.

"This is Alfred," he says as he ushers Tanya towards the older man. "He's the family Butler, but he's basically just Bruce's dad."

"I'm not sure Thomas would agree with that statement," Alfred says, but he looks pleased anyway.

"Nice to meet you," she says, offering a polite nod of her head. "I'll try not to be too much trouble."

"I struggle to imagine how you could possibly be more trouble than Master Bruce back when he was still leaving the house every night in a batsuit. I am well and truly immunized to  _ trouble _ at this point."

Tanya smiles at that, and Alfred gestures to the door.

"Your room," he says. "We picked out some clothes that you should be comfortable in... ones that won't hang off you quite so much."

"I... wow," Tanya says, peeking inside. "You guys work fast."

"We have plenty of experience with unexpected visitors," Alfred says. "At this point I can't help but feel that if we don't get one at least twice a year, that means something gone wrong..."

"Why don't you drop your laptop off," Will says, "and I'll see if I can't find someone else. Try and get through the whole family before I need to handle dinner."

Tanya looks at him like he's crazy.

"...Handle dinner?"

"He handles all of the household's cooking now," Alfred says before Will can reply. "He also prepared the food you at earlier."

Tanya looks like she'd be less surprised if Will had just grown a second head.

"I can cook," Will says defensively. "It's a skill like anything else. It just takes practice."

"I'm sure he'll show you over dinner," Alfred says. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Sure," Tanya says. "I guess we should finish those introductions."

Will nods, leading the way back towards the center of the house.


	6. Chapter 6

The bulk of the introductions go fairly smoothly. He catches Slade just outside the kitchen, watching the way Tanya scrutinizes him. There are similarities, but also differences, and it's interesting to see which conclusions she draws from it.

"...Your regeneration isn't as strong as his?"

"No," Slade confirms. "My powers in general aren't as strong. Seems to be a theme compared to your world: We've got weaker powers and smarter costumes."

"Smarter... costumes?"

And then of course Slade has to lead her down to the cave, showing off the costumes.

"Apparently your world's Batman put Dick in these tiny panties?" Slade says. "Meanwhile, we've got armor."

Tanya does have to agree that their costumes are more practical, and only then does Will get to bring her back upstairs to find their next target. Damian's sitting out back with a sketchbook, and as the person closest in age to her, Will figures he's a decent enough place to start.

"This is Damian," WIll says. "Bruce and Slade's son. In our world, he was Robin."

"...Wow," Tanya says, looking him over. "He's not Robin here?"

"I was Shrike," Damian clarifies, hopping to his feet and offering a hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Now that he thinks about it, the fact that Damian is actually the closest to Tanya's age is... interesting. He's not sure what age she should actually be counted as. Enough time has passed that she  _ should _ be eighteen, but that time hasn't actually passed for her either.

After some thought, he decides to just ignore it until it matters.

"Nice to meet you," she says. "Sorry for... dropping into your house without notice."

"This went better than the last time someone dropped by without notice," Damian says, giving Will a pointed look.

"...Do I want to know?"

"Doubtful," Damian says. "While we have all moved past it, it is undeniably that Will's arrival to our world was the most catastrophic by a mile."

Will hurries Tanya on before Damian can start feeding her stories.

"You already know Bruce," Will says, "so it's really just Joey and Jason."

"Shouldn't—I thought Bruce Wayne had more kids. Do they not live here?"

"Tim's married and has a kid of his own," Will says. "Dick lives up in Bludhaven. Runs a gym."

"A... gym? Isn't her a detective?"

"He was a detective. Had to retire when we went public." He can't blame her, considering how much information she must have had to go through.

Joey and Jason are in the living room, and the moment Will spots them he knows to expect trouble. Jason's wedged up against Joey's side where they sit on the couch, with Jason's legs actually sprawled over Joey's lap. The position looks uncomfortable but practically exists to maximize physical contact, and it could not be more of a blatantly  _ lovey dovey _ pose if they tried.

Tanya blinks when she seems them, but it's hard to gauge her reaction. She's already been awkward and clearly feeling out of place from the word go, so it's hard to say how much of the reaction is potentially from her seeing Joey with a man, and how much of her reaction is just from seeing Joey.

_ Tanya, _ Joey signs, not getting up since he's literally pinned to the couch.  _ This is my boyfriend, Jason. _

Will resists the urge to point out the  _ boyfriend _ part is self evident. He's not sure if Joey or Jason came up with it, but the purpose of the whole thing is self-evident. It is a test, and he suspects even Tanya recognizes it as such, which undermines the whole point of it.

The only thing they're actually testing is if she can pretend to tolerate them, which is a stupid test since obviously she can. She lived in the same damn building with Joey.

She hesitates, glancing between them, and then signs back.

_ It's nice to meet you,  _ she signs, and it's clear she's thinking of Terrence.

"You can talk," Jason says. "I'm Slade and Bruce's son—did you already meet Damian?"

Tanya looks confused, and Will doesn't blame her. The Wayne family tree is a gordian knot, and the fact that Jason has, by Will's estimate, four people who could be considered parents to some respect. That's not even counting the absolute maze of family names, half of which are the same as the other half but reversed.

"I'll get you a map for how everyone's connected later," Will says with a snort.

_ Actually, _ Joey signs.  _ Could we talk? _

Jason scowls, and Joey turns to him. The two have an entire silent conversation conveyed entirely through facial expressions as they stare each other down, and then Jason finally lifts his legs off Joey's and rotates, letting him get up.

"Uh," Tanya says, sounding more nervous by the second, "sure."

Joey isn't even nice enough to let him listen in, taking Tanya to the office and firmly closing the door behind them, leaving Will and Jason in the hall.

"...Great," Will mutters. "This is going to go terribly."

"She did better than I thought," Jason says with a shrug. "Didn't freak out at the whole  _ this is my boyfriend _ thing."

"For all we know, she didn't even have an issue with it and the whole thing was some bullshit Adeline made up."

"No, Joey thinks she was, he's just not sure how much. But I guess we're going to have to find out by waiting."

They end up pacing back and forth as they wait, making no real conversation. Will isn't expecting the conversation to even take ten minutes, but it's been closer to fifteen when the security alarm goes off indicating someone approaching along the forest path.

"Karen?" He guesses.

"Clark," Jason puts in.

Without any sort of discussion they head to the back of the house to check. Jason turns out to be right, because it's a bashful looking Clark who knocks at their back door right as they're arriving.

"Sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to run off with Kara or anything like that."

"Is it Kara now?" Will asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Karen was her... I guess secret name? Her secret identity. Like I'm Clark. Only..." He pauses, waving a hand. "I was raised as Clark, so Clark feels more me than Kal. She feels the reverse, since she was already an adult since the time she became Karen. So she's just Kara now."

"I'll let dad and everyone know," Jason says. "Everything alright?"

"Oh, you know how it is," Clark says with an undeniably happy sigh. "The boys are absolutely smitten. Kara's already talking about going out and getting a job—she's definitely not going to be one to sit around by any metric. How's—ah, what was it, Taaaaa—"

"Tanya," Will finishes for him. "She's doing alright. Larger adjustment for her, but she's adjusting."

Clark leans to the side as if expecting to see her peeking around the corner, but as far as Will can tell she's still in the office with Joey.

"She's with Joey right now," Jason says as if that clarifies anything. "Dinner might be a bit busy tonight, so many we could do lunch tomorrow as a group? Or dinner?"

"Dinner," Will says. "I had something I was going to try anyway."

"You won't see Lois or I turning down your cooking," Clark says. "We can do more introductions then. Lois wants to take Kara in to see Metropolis."

"Are you sure that won't be overwhelming...?" Jason says, and Clark shakes his head.

"Her idea," he says, confirming what Will suspected. "If that's how she wants to adjust, I figure there's no harm in letting her. I think Lois is going to take Jon and go with her, since all of us going would draw too much attention."

No kidding. Superman and six Superboys would be too much attention  _ period. _

"Alright," Will says, "let us know if you need us, and otherwise we'll see you tomorrow night."

"I'll let the boys know you say hello," Clark says, waving and saying his goodbyes before heading back down the path.


	7. Chapter 7

By the time the half hour mark rolls past, Will's getting worried. Unless they slipped out in the brief period that he and Jason were talking to Clark, Joey and Tanya are  _ still _ in the office doing who knows what. It gets to the point that he actually sends Jason to go check his bedroom to make sure Joey isn't there, and even more surprisingly, he actually  _ goes. _

But Joey isn't there.

"I'm going to knock," Will says at the forty-five minute mark.

"Don't," Jason says. "The room's soundproofed to normal talking volume. If someone's screaming, you should be able to hear it."

Will can't hear shit, and he's cursing the fact that Bruce and Slade thought it would be a good idea in the first place.

It's been fifty-five minutes when Bruce passes through the hallway, double takes, and then backs up to stare at the two of them.

"...Hold on," he says. "What are you two doing?"

"Tanya and Joey are talking," Will says. "We're waiting to see how that goes."

"...Talking?" Bruce says. "Should I be concerned?"

"Excellent question," Jason says dryly. "Unfortunately, we don't know."

"Should I—"

"No," Jason interrupts. "Let them talk it out."

Bruce extracts a promise to let him know what's going on before he goes, leaving them to their vigil.

It's been almost an hour and a half when the door opens and both he and Jason leans forward. Joey comes out first, stopping the moment he sees them, and Tanya has to step around him just to get around.

They both look... fine. Dry eyed. Relaxed. Or at least they do at first, because immediately after stepping out Joey gets that pinched look he always gets when he's annoyed.

"...Have you been standing out here this whole time?" Tanya says, and it's clear that Joey's wondering the same thing.

"No," Jason says quickly. "We saw Clark as well."

_ But the rest of the time, _ Joey signs.

"More or less," Will says, and Joey shoots him a dirty look.

_ Shouldn't you be starting dinner? _

The answer is  _ probably. _ He probably should have already started it, only instead he's been standing around outside the office.

"Everything alright?" Jason asks, saving Will from having to answer.

_ Fine, _ Joey signs,  _ we just talked things out. _

"If you want to handle dinner," Tanya says, "I was going to head to the library and finish up my research?"

"Sure," Will grumbles. "I'll handle dinner."

He's feeling particularly irritated, which he resolves by pulling out one of the more complicated recipes he hasn't yet tried. If it goes well, he'll feel satisfied. If it doesn't, it means he'll get to subject everyone else to his failure so they can suffer with him.

But the Boeuf Bourguignon turns out just fine, even if it delays dinner by almost an hour, and apparently his annoyance at not knowing just what happened is obvious because no one bothers to disturb him.

Everyone else is more or less used to his culinary skills, but Tanya squints at it incredulously.

"...You made this?" She asks. "By yourself?"

"I've been quite busy handling laundry," Alfred says, "so I'm afraid Will was forced to make do on his own."

Tanya squints at him a bit longer before finally trying it, her face lighting up.

"Wow—that is... that's good."

_ Pop refuses to be second best at anything,  _ Joey signs.  _ That counts cooking. _

"Not sure if being the family chef is going to be a final  _ career," _ Will mutters, "but if I'm going to have to do it, I'm going to make sure I'm doing a good job."

"Have you thought about other jobs, then?" Bruce asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Thought about doing bodyguard work," Will says, popping a bite into his mouth. "That's one upside of being public: my reputation is now even more well known than it was. A lot of people will pay a lot of money to hire me."

Bruce shoots him a dirty look.

"Entirely above the table," he clarifies. "Plenty of people who feel threatened and want someone to protect them."

"But then who would cook?" Damian asks as if he genuinely has no idea what the answer is.

"Order out," Will says with a snort. "Or someone else can figure out how to make do."

"We're going to starve," Jason groans.

"This is all theoretical right now," Slade points out. "Will hasn't actually accepted any jobs."

"Yet," Will points out.

"Yet," Slade confirms. "So we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"More like we'll bomb that bridge when we come to it," Jason mumbles under his breath, and Tanya tries to cover a smile with her hand.

Bruce makes some police small talk with Tanya about her research, seeming impressed by how much she's already covered.

"I was actually thinking about going back to MIT. I guess not having my degree would make things more complicated than they would have back at home."

"You could theoretically test through highschoo—"

"She's done college," Will says. "She's got a doctorate."

A bit of Jason's food actually drops off his fork.

"She has a  _ doctorate?" _

"When I said she was a genius, I wasn't paying her an empty compliment."

"You didn't say she was a genius!" Jason protests. "You have a  _ doctorate?" _

"In physics," Tanya says, looking embarrassed by the whole conversation.

"Is it really so surprising?" Damian asks. "Child geniuses  _ do _ exist."

Bruce has a funny look at that which Will lacks the true context for, but considering what he knows about Talia al Ghul, he can guess. Whatever kind of life Damian had,  _ child genius _ was probably a term applied to him a lot.

"Well, there's no rush," Bruce says, taking a more diplomatic stance. "It's still your first day."

"No ill will meant or anything," Tanya says, "I just prefer to get things done... sooner, rather than later. I don't like sitting around if I can help it."

"That's fair enough," Bruce says. "I just wanted to make sure you knew you were free to take it slow if you want."

"If she's feeling fine, why don't we do that errand for Clark tomorrow?" Slade says, giving Bruce a look.

"Can't," Will says. "Jason and I promised Clark we'd do dinner tomorrow."

"We can still go midday. We just need to go early."

"What's the errand?" Damian asks, perking up.

"Bruce needs to go by work to sign some paperwork," Slade says. "Clark also asked us to help with security around his house and property, so we're combining a few errands."

Damian squints at the three of them.

"...Am I going to have to go?"

"No," Slade says. "You can stay here. We're not going to force anyone to go."

_ Good, because I actually wanted to get some painting done,  _ Joey signs.

In the end, none of the kids  _ want _ to go, and Tanya and Joey seem fairly relaxed around each other. Will's dying to find out what was discussed, but it's not as if he has an easy avenue to ask. Joey will probably just tell him that it's  _ private _ and refuse to say.

Tanya seems more likely to give him the answer he wants.


	8. Chapter 8

Will makes a point of checking in with Tanya in the library after dinner, clearing his throat to draw her attention from the laptop she's still clicking away on. He can't imagine how much there must be for her to  _ read, _ and he has no doubt she's not going to stop until she's read it all.

"So," he says, "how did things go with Joey?"

Tanya pauses, squinting at him, and then sits up a little bit straighter.

"Did you already ask him?"

The insinuation that he might be trying to get an answer from her because Joey isn't likely to say is both insulting and absolutely correct.

"No," he says, which isn't a lie at all. "You spent an hour and a half talking with him about something, and I think it's fair that I might be concerned."

Tanya seems satisfied by that, and after a moment she relaxes, the tension easing out of her shoulders.

"We talked," she says, as if he thought they were doing something that  _ wasn't _ talking. "Joey was really nice about everything, and he kept trying to apologize, even though he didn't have anything to apologize for. I was out of line. I was..."

She pauses, searching for words.

"...Close minded," she finally says. "I was always told that it was a man and a woman and anything else was wrong. It was obvious after Joey came to my room how upset he was about it, and how I'd hurt him. I'd destroyed Defiance, and I tried to figure out a way to make it better so people wouldn't leave, and... well, we saw how that turned out."

Badly. It turned out badly. It turned out with the team thinking she was dead, and Tanya trapped between dimensions for a year.

"Like I said, Joey tried to apologize, even if he shouldn't have. He was... He was really nice about it, even if he probably shouldn't have been, and we ended up sitting down and he talked me through some of it. He's going to let me come with him to his church so I can talk to the priest." She looks happy with that, which eases his worries.

No fighting between the two of them. No having to worry about something blowing up in his face. No having to worry about them avoiding each other while living in the same house.

It's a weight off his mind.

"I know I've said it before," she says, staring at him as she does, "but I really... can't even express how different you are."

"I'm not that different," Will says. "I've just adjusted my goals."

"Which makes you different. The only thing you seemed to care about before was whatever mission you had in mind."

"It's the same. My mission is just keeping Joey safe and happy."

But even that doesn't sound quite right. It doesn't settle in his brain like it once would have. It's like he's trying to push a square peg through a round hole, and no matter how he pushes it isn't fixing itself.

"...Mostly."

Tanya gives him a funny look.

_ "Mostly?" _

"That's mostly my mission."

"And what's the rest?" She asks, folding her arms across her chest.

Will grunts. He doesn't want to talk about it. He's having a hard enough time putting the thoughts together in his head, let around saying him.

"It's complicated."

Tanya does not look impressed by his answer, and Will grunts.

"I'm working on it. On... wanting other things. Not being..." Crap, what were the terms used? "Not having tunnel vision."

"...Uh huh," Tanya says. "That's very... mature of you."

Will scowls. He gets the distinct impression he's being talked down to, only he's having a hard time actually countering any of her points.

"Weren't you supposed to be doing research?"

"I was," Tanya says, "and then you interrupted me."

Will grunts again.

"I'll leave you to it then."

Tanya looks amused as he leaves her behind. He feels agitated and more than a little trapped, and with no cooking to do he ends up going out for a jog before heading to the workout room.

He's still working through his routine when the door opens and Joey pops his head in. He seems surprised by what he's seeing, and pauses for a moment before coming inside, signing as he does.

_ You alright pop? _

"Fine," he calls, hitting the punching bag hard enough he nearly knocks it off the chain. He catches it on the way back, taking a moment to center himself before turning back to Joey. "Just working out."

_ It's never just working out with you, _ Joey signs. There's seats on the side of the workout room, and he drops down on one, watching as Will starts to clean up after himself. _ Do you want to talk about it? _

"No."

_ Will you? _

Crap. Now he has to.

"Asked Tanya how things went with you two. She seemed pretty satisfied with the whole thing, but then she kept squinting at me and said I was different. That I'd changed."

_ You have, pop. _

"I haven't changed that much," he says as he stows the last of his equipment. "I'm still the same person."

_ I used to wonder all the time if you really cared about me, _ Joey signs.  _ I wasn't sure if you'd ever loved me, or if it was just Grant and maybe Rose. _

"Of course I loved you," Will says. The whole conversation seems stupid. Of course he cared.

_ But I didn't know it, _ Joey signs.  _ You weren't very good at showing it, and that's what Tanya's seeing. You're still the same person, but you're a lot better at showing how you feel. _

"I don't exactly feel much better," Will mutters. 

_ You are,  _ Joey signs. He looks absolutely sure, and Will can't look directly at him.

"If I went back now, do you think I could have helped Grant?"

Joey sits up a bit straighter, but he looks more confused than anything else.

_ Grant? _

"When I had the Speed Force," he says, "I tried to go back to save him. To bring him back. But every time I talked to him, it just blew up in my face. He wouldn't listen. Now I wonder if... if I've changed enough he'd have listened."

_ I think you would have, _ Joey signs, and after a moment he stands, walking over to where Will is and reaching out to rest a hand on his forearm for a moment.  _ But you can't, pop. You can't let yourself live in the past. _

"I know," he mutters. He knows that. He knows he can't. "I had the Speed Force when I pulled Tanya out. I thought about... going back. About helping him. But no matter what I did, there was no guarantee it would work out. Getting him back might mean losing you, and I..."

Joey leans over, wrapping his arms around him, and pulls him tight against him. It's a hug that demands Will's attention, and he lets out a sigh, lifting his arms to wrap around Joey and pull him closer.

Even if he couldn't save Grant, at least he hasn't lost Joey, and he lets himself, just for a moment, be thankful for that much.


	9. Chapter 9

When he sleeps that night, it's peacefully. There are no more dreams of Tanya calling for help, no more confused and muddled stabs of guilt. He sleeps until six and wakes to start breakfast, going all out. He feels energetic, almost  _ purposeful. _

Jason joins him before anyone else, coming in out of the early November chill in track pants.

"Were you really running so early?" Will mutters without giving Jason more than a quick glance.

"Damian told me he saw deer out back at dusk," Jason says. "Thought I might see some wildlife."

"Hopefully you took a flashlight."

Jason taps a small clip-on flashlight he has pinned to his chest and grins at him.

"Need any help?"

"I'll be just fine," Will says. "One more isn't going to break me. The fact that you kids will eat anything helps too."

He sends Jason off to get properly dressed and gets back to work. Alfred actually sleeps in for once, only joining him in the kitchen when he's already started to plate things. Damian gets stuck with the task of rounding up everyone else, and when Bruce arrives in a suit jacket Will has to double take.

"Oh right," he says. "Work?"

"Lucius needs me for a meeting," Bruce says. "I thought I'd combine a few chores."

He'd sort of expected that the whole  _ I have to go to work _ thing was an elaborate ruse to cover for their date, but it seems like he was at least partially genuine.

Tanya arrives at breakfast in pajamas, and seems surprised (and embarrassed) to see everyone dressed. "Hold on," she says, "I'll go change—"

"It's not an issue," Bruce says. "We've had people come to breakfast in pjs before."

"Master Dick once spent the better part of a summer refusing to eat breakfast anything but shirtless," Alfred says with a sigh.

"I don't remember that," Slade mutters.

"Before your time."

Tanya does end up settling down to eat with them, even if she's clearly self conscious, but she seems to relax as the meal goes on. Bruce ends up getting everyone's plans out of them—Damian has some path maintenance to handle, while Jason says he's going to handle things in the office. Joey gives an enigmatic  _ painting, _ while Tanya makes it clear she's still researching.

"There are a lot of points of deviation," she says. "I assumed there was just one thing different and everything else spiraled off from there, but it's strange. Some people are older than they should, some people are younger... I don't really get it."

"Making sense of alternate dimensions is a recipe for disaster," Jason says. "Better not to think about it too much."

"I can't just  _ not _ think about it," she says with a sigh. "I have to know!"

That's just the sort of person she is.

Bruce, Slade, and Will leave just after breakfast, but not before Will manages to extract a promise from those remaining behind to handle the dishes. He nearly asks Bruce what to wear before deciding it might be too obvious, and settles on something comfortable that he could move around in if needed. He has no idea what Bruce has planned, but he figures it's better to be prepared.

Of course, the moment he gets to the car, Slade signals for him to turn right back around.

"Go put on the suit."

"Ikon suit," Bruce clarifies.

He does, even if he has no idea why. As much as he hated it to start, he has to admit it's absolutely useful and by far the most valuable thing he owns.

They leave in two cars. Bruce heads for Wayne Enterprises to start, while Slade snags Will for some assistance of his own. It feels a bit like he's about to get lectured by a date's  _ father, _ an almost entirely new experience for him.

Well, there was Ra's, but he didn't quite count.

"So what are we actually doing?" Will asks.

"Using that enhanced strength of yours," Slade says. "And getting Ivy to back off."

"Aren't you supposed to be allies?"

"She's started getting a bit too close to the main road, and we need that to stay open. So we're going to remind her to back it up a bit."

It isn't nearly as exciting as Will expects. For one, he never actually sees Ivy, staying with the car while Slade marches into the urban jungle that Ivy's made herself the master of. She doesn't seem to care about him, and the only indication that he gets that things are going well is when he sees some of the plant life start to withdraw from the nearly overgrown street.

"So?" Will asks when Slade appears from behind a tree. "I assume that went well?"

"Didn't expect much different," Slade says, pulling the car door open. "Ivy's pretty easy to work with if you know what to expect."

"Doesn't really seem like you needed me at all," Will says as he gets in.

Slade, however, does not start the car. Instead, Slade turns in his seat to look Will over, obviously scrutinizing him.

"...Please tell me you're not about to give me the 'if you hurt Bruce' lecture. You're not his father."

"I wasn't going to," Slade says. "What I was  _ going _ to tell you is that Bruce likes things romantic, so try and keep that in mind."

Christ.  _ Romantic. _

"I don't really do romantic."

"Figure it out."

"I really don't." Will has never been particularly romantic. Most of the romance he had with Adeline amounted to doing things people around them (mostly Billy) told him would be a good idea. Billy was more or less his  _ romance coach, _ and Will's wondered quite a few times if him and Adeline would have lasted as long as they did without him nearby.

"Bruce likes to take things slow," Slade adds. "So—"

"You aren't his dad," Will says. "What happens between the two of us happens between the two of us."

Slade scowls at him.

"If I told him to stop this right now, he would."

Will reaches forward, grabbing the front of Slade's shirt and hauling him forward until they're only inches away.

"Do you think I don't know that?" Will snaps. He does. It's an unfortunate fact, a truth he can't ignore. He's willing to play along with Bruce's idea, but nothing's going to change the fact that Slade got there  _ first.  _ That Slade's stamped his right to Bruce over every inch of his body, and Will's only going to get what Slade's willing to share.

Slade reaches up, wrapping his hand around Will's fist where it's caught the front of Slade's shirt. He gives it a squeeze, tone dangerous.

"Let go, Will."

He has to fight himself over it. He has to  _ make _ himself let go, because his instinct is to slam his fist straight into Slade's face. It takes an insane amount of effort to release his fingers and let go, his teeth bared in Slade's direction.

"I am trying to help you," Slade says flatly.

"Help me by staying out of it," Will says. "If you want this to work, what you need to do is keep away. If all this turns out to be is Slade and Bruce round two, I'm out."

He's not doing that. He's not going to be another Slade. The fact that he is  _ literally _ another Slade complicates things, but if Bruce (and Slade, for that matter) aren't willing to treat him like a separate person rather than an extension of Slade himself, he's out.

He'll pack up, move out on his own, and just visit Joey when he can. Maybe even get Joey to move out too.

"Stop that," Slade says, and Will pauses, squinting at him.

"What?"

"Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about it going wrong."

"You're  _ making _ it go wrong," Will snaps. "You're interfering."

"It's what I do. I interfere. Bruce is... you think Bruce is this well adjusted person who has all his ducks in a row, but he's delicate. All this is still comparatively new to him. A few years ago and  _ Clark _ had to point out that I was pining for him."

It's hard to imagine that. Bruce seems so well adjusted. He seems so  _ aware. _ He's been pointing things out to Will since he got there, and the idea that he might have been oblivious seems impossible.

But he doesn't  _ not _ believe him, either. He doesn't think Slade is lying to him, it's just hard to believe.

"Listen," Slade says, and he reaches over, shifting the car into drive. "Don't overthink this. Be delicate with him."

"Stop giving me advice," Will snaps. He can't believe he's still trying. "If it goes wrong, it goes wrong."

"Fine," Slade snaps. "Have it your way."

Will plans to do just that.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a content warning (nothing extreme), but it's a fairly large spoiler. If you want surprises, don't read the end note!

Will is dropped off in a parking lot and told to wait. Bruce doesn't make him wait long though, driving up and stopping just beside him before rolling down the window.

"Is that my hot date?" Bruce says, and then immediately winces. It's clear that he was trying to be  _ smooth, _ only it didn't quite land.

Will gets in the car anywhere.

"Where are we going, exactly?"

"Surprise," Bruce says.

They've been driving thirty minutes when Will brings up his concern.

"If we're going this far away, aren't the kids going to notice?"

"It's going to take two or three hours for Slade to reach the specialty supply store, time to shop, time to get back. Plenty of time for us to get there, do our thing, and get back. I already set things up with Slade—he'll call when it's time for us to start heading back."

"They're going to find out."

"The boys?"

"You know they're going to find out."

"That's why I don't plan to drag it out," Bruce says. "If this goes well, I think... Jason and Joey to start. Then Damian."

"Tanya? Clark?"

Bruce sighs and drags a hand through his hair as he drives.

"I don't know. Some people might... be uncomfortable with it. It might be better to be discreet."

There is no right answer. Will doubts the world is ready to hear that Bruce Wayne, beloved superhero, is married to one  _ brother _ and dating the other. They'll call it cheating. They'll drag his name through the mud.

"We'll figure it out then," Will says.

It doesn't actually take that long for them to get there. It's close to an hour from when they left Gotham that Bruce turns off the highway, heading down some  _ very _ remote back streets. The area they're in is heavily wooded and fairly remote.

"Please tell me we aren't going camping."

"Don't think that would fit comfortably in our timeframe," Bruce says. "You'll like it."

Bruce pulls off at a hunting camp. It looks empty, and there's no front desk or anything of the sort. He parks in a small unpaved lot, gets out, and heads around to the trunk.

"Explain?" Will insists.

"Nope," Bruce says, seeming far too pleased. "You have your suit on?"

Bruce is already peeling off his suit _ , _ replacing it with one of a very different kind. It's not any variation of his batsuit that Will's familiar with, instead being a lot closer to what Nightwing used to wear. Sleek. Easily movable. Minimal padding, but also minimal limitations.

"...Are we stopping a smuggling ring?"

Bruce doesn't answer, grabbing a backpack before heading towards a trailhead.

"...Not a huge fan of secrets," Will mutters as he follows behind.

"It's not a secret," Bruce says, "it's a surprise."

"Doesn't seem like there's much of a difference to me," Will points out. "But keep your secret, I guess."

He doesn't have long to wait. They aren't even walking for ten minutes when Bruce leaves the trail, heading down a bank towards the sounds of a river.

"I used to come here and train," Bruce explains as they clear the trees. The river he heard is there, wide and slow, lazily meandering up across the base of a cliff. "I'd climb the cliffs over and over again. Different difficulties, harnesses or no harnesses. If I slipped, it just meant falling back into the river and having to climb back up again."

"...I sort of assumed you were going to go for something  _ romantic," _ Will says with a snort.

"I find that the classic romantic date idea doesn't work for me," Bruce admits, dropping the backpack down on the shore. "I'm too private a person. I enjoy doing things. I've done plays a few times, but plays aren't a good place to get to know someone. You can't talk."

"So you want us to climb a cliff and talk."

"That's the plan," Bruce says. He darts forward, diving into the river in one smooth motion, and Will sees him bob back to the surface, cutting his way across the river towards the cliff.

Will drops a few things by Bruce's bag (he doesn't need his wallet getting soaked), making sure he has the essentials in one of his belt pouches, and then goes in after him.

Even years from being a vigilante, Bruce is still  _ very _ fit. He's near his peak, and he scales the cliff with the sort of skill and experience that most people can only dream of. The cliff is like an old friend to him. It feels almost personal watching Bruce climb it as he treats water, but he doesn't stay there for long before he goes up after him.

Will does not know the cliff. It's not an old friend. It has tricks and traps and things that won't hold his weight but look like they might. But he's faster than Bruce and stronger. He can hold his weight in ways that Bruce won't ever be able to.

Even so, Bruce beats him to the top. Will slips back a few feet before he catches himself, and those few feet let Bruce get to the top first.

Will is sure he won't lose again. Not now that he's done it once.

Bruce is dangling his feet over the edge of the cliff when Will reaches the top. He looks excited, even ecstatic.

"Gets the blood flowing," Bruce says. "Good workout."

He gets up, and then steps off the cliff, dropping down into the river below. Will follows suit.

He's better the second time. He beats Bruce to the top and waits for him, amused by the annoyed look on Bruce's face as he finally reaches the top, panting heavily.

"Stupid super strength," Bruce complains as he reaches the top. "Stupid super speed."

"Still a good workout," Will says, offering his hand to Bruce. He takes it, and Will hauls him up to the top of the cliff.

Then he kisses him again. It's different. Less rushed. He also doesn't get punched in the chest, either. Instead, Bruce brings a hand up, resting it against his chest without pushing him away and kisses him back.

Maybe this was the plan the whole time. Maybe the plan was always to  _ get his blood pumping _ .

Because it is, and he reaches down, wrapping his arms around Bruce and hauling him up onto his lap. He deepens the kiss, dropping his hands to Bruce's hips as he drags him into the kiss. He keeps it up until Bruce turns his head, and only then does he break it, letting Bruce literally gasp for air.

The choked  _ Will _ that passes Bruce's lips lights a fire under him. Will lets out a growl, dragging his teeth down the column of Bruce's throat as Bruce tips his head back. He wants to leave a mark, something Bruce can't forget, and even if he knows it's stupid he can't quite stop himself from biting at the junction of Bruce's neck and shoulder.

It's inevitable that Bruce jabs at him, and Will pulls back, the coppery tang of blood on his tongue. Bruce scowls, reaching up to rub at the bite, and his hand comes away with traces of blood.

"You couldn't help yourself, could you?" Bruce mutters. He looks annoyed, but not angry, which works just fine for Will.

"I couldn't," he says, his arm darting out to wrap around Bruce's back and pull him closer.

It's been too damn long for him. Too long since he's had any sort of fun, and the way Bruce responds to his every touch is  _ delightful. _ All it takes is Will dragging his fingers down Bruce's spine and he can watch Bruce buck against the touch.

"Sensitive," Will murmurs, and Bruce bares his teeth.

"I wasn't expecting...  _ this,"  _ Bruce mutters, and Will takes that as an excuse to drag him into another rough kiss. It's all teeth and force, and he keeps at it until Bruce breaks the kiss to suck in a deep breath.

Then, of course, Will flips him onto his belly.

"What—" Bruce splutters. "Will!"

Will leans over him, pinning Bruce to the rock below, and kisses at the back of his neck.

"Shhh," he says. "I've got you."

The fact that they're on top of a cliff doesn't bother him at all. The fact that they're out in the wilds doesn't either. It's not like anyone's going to  _ accidentally _ stumble across them fucking around on top of a cliff, and that's all the reason he needs to slip his fingers under the edge of Bruce's shirt before curling his fingers and jerking the back of his pants down.

"Are you serious?" Bruce hisses as if he's expecting someone to overhear. "We are on top of a  _ cliff." _

"Which means no one will see us," Will says. One hand gives the globe of Bruce's ass a squeeze through his underwear while the other goes to his belt.

"I can't believe you," Bruce says, his voice still quiet. "I can't believe you're doing this."

"And yet I don't see you stopping me," Will says as he leans forward, pressing his body against Bruce's back. It lets him suck at Bruce's neck again, an action which Bruce seems to enjoy  _ immensely, _ and it also makes it impossible for Bruce to not notice Will's obvious erection.

Bruce jumps when Will pulls back, uncapping a bottle of lube. He twists his head around, staying up at Will with a look of absolute horror.

"You can't be serious," he says. "You brought— _ What?" _

Will smacks his ass, causing Bruce to jerk forward. His face is bright red, and Will grabs his hip to keep him from going too far (like, say, over the cliff), pulling him back until Bruce's legs fold under him. It lets Will haul Bruce to his knees, pulling his underwear down with a jerk.

"Will!" Bruce yelps as Will starts to drizzle lube down across his ass. "You can't be—Will, we are on  _ top of a cliff." _

"Don't your worry," Will says. "I'll keep you safe. Not going to let you go falling off a cliff when there are much nicer things you can be doing."

If Bruce is going to say anything more, it gets lost in the groan that rips its way out of his mouth when Will presses a finger in. His entire body goes tense, and Will leans over him again, dragging his hand down Bruce's back.

Bruce doesn't really manage words after that. There are a lot of noises—god, are there a  _ lot _ of noises, even if Bruce is obviously trying to muffle them at the start—but not much in the way of coherent thought. Once upon a time he was told that he had a tendency to treat sex like a job, and while it was probably intended as an insult, he can't help but feel like it's a good thing.

He  _ does _ treat it like a job, because it's just another thing he wants to be the goddamn best at.

He works Bruce up from two fingers to three, enjoying the way his body yields to him. It's obvious to him that Bruce was  _ not _ planning for Will to screw his brains out on top of a cliff in the middle of nowhere, but it's also obvious he's making no attempt to actually stop him. He's caught up in how good it feels, and  _ that's _ a wild rush.

He slicks himself up and goes right ahead and pushes in, burying himself in Bruce's ass.

"Fuck," Bruce wheezes. He sounds breathless, his entire body going red.  _ "Will." _

He doesn't drag it out. He's never had much interest in making things last forever, so when he pulls back out before rocking inward, he makes a point to change the angle every time until Bruce's entire body shudders and he lets out a choked noise. That tells him just the right way to go, and he ruts into him, grinding against Bruce's prostate every thrust.

Bruce is almost crying by the time Will nears his end, the overstimulation so intense that somewhere along the line his legs have simply given out. The only thing keeping him upright are Will's hands, and he has to release one hip to jerk him off when he realizes how close he is.

Bruce really does have a nice ass—tight and muscular, but also  _ plenty _ to grab—but it's his back that really does it for Will. Even with his shirt only hiked up, the taste of what he can see is enough to send Will crashing into his own orgasm. He feels Bruce starting to twitch around him, and a few hard thrusts later Bruce clenches down around him, letting out a howl as he completely collapses.

Will still rides out the rest of his orgasm before finally letting himself relax, sprawled across Bruce's back and practically pinning him to the ground.

There's a bite right where Bruce's shoulder meets his neck, and a line of hickies on the other side where Will's had his fun. None of them are half as read as Bruce's face, and when he catches Will looking he buries his face in his arms.

"...I can't believe I just let you do that," Bruce mumbles. "I can't believe I just let you do that on the  _ first date." _

"And you loved it," Will says, finally rolling off Bruce. Bruce probably has bruises all across his torso and knees from being fucked directly into rock, and the idea of Bruce all marked up by him is  _ deeply _ satisfying.

Bruce lets out a groan and slowly rolls over, cringing as he does.

"I have bruises on my bruises."

In the distance, Will can hear a phone ringing, and he gets up, heading closer to the edge to make sure.

Yep.

"Your phone's ringing."

"Christ, he can't be there  _ already?" _ Bruce groans. "We haven't even—it can't have even been an hour!" He sounds more exasperated by the second, and when he stands up he makes a point of pulling his pants back up while shooting Will an annoyed look.

"How am— _ Will,  _ did you think this through at all? Now I have to climb down from a cliff with a bruised ass and bruised knees and then I have to drive while  _ sitting _ on that ass and you were  _ not exactly gentle with me." _

Will reaches down, wrapping an arm around Bruce's chest and helping haul him up.

"And you've got hickies. And a bite mark."

Bruce splutters and buries his face in his hands.

"I guess we're telling them when we get home," Bruce mumbles. Will hadn't thought of that, but he supposes Bruce is right. It's not like Bruce is going to be able to hide the marks without it being  _ very _ obvious that he's hiding something.

"Hold on," Will says, bending down a bit in front of Bruce, and Bruce gives him a funny look.

"...Hold on what?"

"As in hold on to me," Will says with a roll of his eyes. "You're going to regret it if you jump back down the cliff."

"You can't just climb down the cliff with me  _ on your back," _ Bruce says like it's some kind of unshakable truth.

"I absolutely can," Will says. "Now hold on."

Despite his protests, Bruce ends up wrapping his arms around Will's neck and shoulders. He makes a small noise of distress when Will goes over the edge, starting to work his way down the cliff.

"Should I be worried that Slade's going to kill me?" Will asks about halfway down.

"I think you're at a much higher risk of getting a high five," Bruce grumbles. "We talked about... this sort of thing. He said it was up to me. I alluded to something like the tenth date and he shot me this  _ look _ like he didn't believe it."

"Because he didn't," Will says as they reach the water, and Bruce lets out a hiss at the cold as Will starts cutting his way back towards the shore. "Now let's get you cleaned up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, sexual content in this one.


	11. Chapter 11

It turns out that Slade  _ isn't _ calling because he's telling them it's time to go home. He's calling because he can't figure out what part Bruce used and needs a part number. They've still got at least an hour to do, and Bruce spends the duration of it lying down in the back of the car looking embarrassed.

Will's the one who ends up driving in favor of letting Bruce recline the back seat as far as it will go. While he doesn't think Bruce is  _ actually _ hurt, he figures it would probably be good to check anyway.

"Nothing's torn?"

"I'm just sore," Bruce mutters. "And mortified."

"Because you slept with me on the first date?"

"Because I was an idiot who let you leave bites and hickeys all over me, and now we're going to have to tell  _ everyone, _ because they're all going to figure out something's up if I decide that scarves should be worn in the house."

"And your ass hurts."

"And my ass hurts," Bruce agrees. "Just give me a bit to scrounge up my dignity."

"You were a good fuck, if that helps."

"It does not."

Slade meets them on the way back, but the moment he sees Bruce he squints.

"...Did he fall?"

Bruce buries his face in his hands, and Slade raises an eyebrow, slowly turning his head to look at Will. "...On your first date?"

"Didn't see a point in waiting."

Slade sighs and buries his face in his palm for a moment.

"I can see about a dozen reasons to wait. For one, this means we're going to have to tell the house  _ today,  _ because hiding it will be an absolute disaster. For another, the Kents are supposed to be coming over—"

"Absolutely not," Bruce says from the back seat. He's rolled the window down to listen to the conversation, but so far he's kept out of it. "I'm going to say I'm sick and hide in my room. I am  _ not _ having a polite dinner conversation with Clark's parents with my ass smarting."

"...Fair," Slade says. "Not even a lie. You're not feeling well."

"But we're telling everyone else?" Will asks. "All at the same time?"

"Best to rip the band-aid off," Slade says. "Avoids any sort of misunderstanding." 

They don't get a choice. Alfred's apparently taken Tanya to pick things up for the house when they get back, which leaves them with a limited number of options.

"We could wait—" Will starts, only to have Slade shoot him a dirty look.

"We're not waiting," Slade says. "If we're in the house longer than thirty seconds, one of them is going to  _ smell _ it, and I don't want Jason kicking my door in to tell me Bruce is cheating."

"Fine," Will says, throwing his hands into the air. "You go round them up and I'll get Bruce inside."

Bruce doesn't really need much help. He's got a limp, but he can walk just fine, and the worst of it is when he sinks down into an armchair, cringing as his ass hits the seat.

_ "We,"  _ he says, his voice strained, "are going to have a nice long talk about being  _ rough _ when this is all over."

Will grins at him. It's impossible for him not to feel smug about the whole thing.

Damian, Jason, and Joey look downright nervous as Slade herds them in. Will can't imagine what Slade's actually  _ said _ to them, but it's clear they're expecting the worst.

"Who's dead?" Jason says, which isn't exactly a great start.

"No one's dead," Bruce says. "Sit down."

"It's a serious family talk," Jason says, "and everyone's nervous. So something's gone wrong."

He sits down anyway, and Bruce sighs, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Nothing's gone wrong," he says as the other two sink down beside him. "We just thought it was—"

"Is that a bite?" Damian asks, and he's right about to ask another question when Bruce signals for silence.

_ "Please _ let me say my piece," he says. "Then you can ask whatever questions you want."

He gives them a pointed look and none of them says a word. Bruce heaves another great sigh, leaning back in his seat with a small wince.

"Will has expressed... interest in a relationship with me," Bruce says, and despite the initial pause it's clear he's trying to get it all out in one go, because after that he barely stops for breath. "The three of us talked it out, and came to a  _ mutual _ decision to make an attempt to try that out and see how it goes."

Jason makes a noise. It's barely even a human noise, almost a wheeze.

"You're  _ dating  _ Will?"

Will's attention is on Joey. Everyone else is secondary, but Joey's reaction comes first. If Joey isn't comfortable, he's going to just have to call it then and there.

But Joey's reaction isn't necessarily negative. He looks introspective, clearly thinking things through as Jason panics beside him. Damian, on the other hand, looks  _ excited. _

"Does this mean Joey's my brother?" He says.

"No!" Jason blurts. "This is—this is a disaster! We can't be  _ related!" _

"Jason," Slade says, "this isn't any different from two kids dating and their divorced parents hooking up."

"You don't think this could be an issue?" Jason says. "This could be a huge issue!"

"Jason, it's literally only an issue if they get  _ married, _ and beyond the fact that they aren't even  _ close _ to that, it's also not even possible, so you can calm down."

Jason does seem to calm down a bit, and Will turns to Joey, raising an eyebrow.

"Thoughts?"

_ I mean, this is better than I thought, _ Joey signs.  _ I just assumed you were having another affair. _

Another affair. Well, Will can't exactly say that wasn't called for, considering...

"You knew?" Bruce asks, looking horrified.

_ Guessed, _ Joey signs.  _ Pop has tells. _

"I have tells?" Will asks, raising an eyebrow.

_ Tells I'm not going to tell you about because you'll stop,  _ Joey signs, letting out a sigh and leaned back in his seat a bit more.  _ I mean, if this is all above board and everyone's okay with it, I don't see an issue? _

Jason seems to deflate. It's clear that while he's bothered, Joey being  _ not _ bothered matters to him a lot more. If Joey is fine with it, then  _ he'll _ say he's fine with it, even if he's not.

"I know it's sudden," Bruce says, but we didn't want to try and hide this from you. We didn't want anyone... assuming anything  _ untoward _ was happening." He glances at Joey, and it's clear what he's talking about.

"You're really okay with this?" Jason asks, looking straight at Slade.

"Sure," Slade says. "Most important thing is that Bruce is happy. If he's willing to give it a try, I'm willing to give it a try."

"You're remarkably casual about this."

"I'm confident that it's not going to hinder my relationship with Bruce."

"Did you tell Alfred?" Damian asks. "You need to tell him—"

"He knows," Bruce says with a sigh. "He knows everything. You can't keep a secret from him."

_ Tanya? _ Joey signs.  _ Clark? _

"We are... not telling Clark right now. Not tonight.  _ I _ will personally call Clark over, tell him the truth, and ask what he wants to do about his family at a later date," Bruce says with a sigh.

"Probably me in charge of telling Tanya," Will says. "She's not going to take it well."

_ No kidding, _ Joey signs.  _ Do you want me to help? _

"Might seem like we're ganging up on her," Will points out. "I'll handle it."

Joey does not look at all convinced that Will is going to be able to  _ handle it. _

"Maybe tell her after dinner," Slade says, "because you're going to need to start cooking pretty soon, and I'm not sure when she'll be back."

It also prevents the risk of her having a breakdown before dinner and then the Kents wondering where she went.

"Alright," Bruce says. "After dinner. But I... am going to bed. I am exhausted."

"They went rock climbing," Slade elaborates. "First date."

While Damian and Jason look largely oblivious, Joey gives Will a pointed—and amused—look at the mention of a first date. Just in case he missed it, Joey actually  _ winks _ at him, making it clear he knows exactly what that entails.

"I need to start dinner," Will says, getting up. He's not looking forward to telling Tanya, but in his opinion the whole thing went really well.

But then, he supposes it makes sense that it would. They weren't telling strangers or the public: they were telling the people closest to them, and the ones who were the most likely to take it well in the first place.

He's not looking forward to telling  _ anyone _ else for that matter.


	12. Chapter 12

Will makes dinner while trying his utmost not to look too smug about the whole thing. It doesn't particularly come as a surprise when Joey seeks him out maybe a half hour later, dropping by the kitchen and tapping him on the shoulder. Will shifts what he's doing so that his eyes are free to focus on Joey, letting his son's signing hold his attention rather than the food he's preparing.

"Jason take it alright?"

_ Just surprised, _ Joey signs.  _ He calmed down, it just took a bit. _

"Still worried you two are going to be brothers?"

_ I made it clear this wouldn't change anything, _ Joey signs.  _ The fact that Damian's decided I'm his step-brother now doesn't seem to help, though. _

Will can't imagine why.

"You're taking this pretty well yourself," Will says, absentmindedly working through his meal prep.

_ It's better than what I thought was happening, _ Joey signs.  _ I'd already prepared myself for the worst, so this is nothing. _

Will pauses, his hands no longer moving, and he glances up, eyes fixing on Joey's.

"...And you're fine with this?"

_ As fine as I am with anything else, _ he signs.  _ But if I'm being honest, I think you're probably going to screw it up. _

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Will says, his hands going back to work.

_ Just being realistic. Considering the bruises you left all over Bruce, it seems more like this is a power play between you and Slade. Considering everything, it's hard not to feel like you're going into this for the wrong reasons. _

"The wrong reasons," Will says flatly.

_ Sex and competetion, _ Joey signs.  _ Not because you love him. _

That makes Will stop, head lifting to squint at Joey again.

Love.

He loves Joey. He loved Grant. He... he doesn't know how he feels about Rose, if it's  _ loves _ or  _ loved. _

Bruce feels like something else entirely.

"Don't know how I should know," Will says and goes back to his work. It's getting harder to focus on his meal prep when Joey's lecturing him the whole damn time.

_ Why'd you kiss him, pop? _

"How'd you know about that?"

_ Slade told me when I asked. Said you kissed him during the Gala, and that kicked this whole thing off. But that's not an answer. Why'd you kiss him? _

"Seemed like the right thing to do."

Joey facepalms, leaning heavily against the cupboards. He looks exasperated by the whole thing, and Will doesn't have to wonder why. He's at least, in very general terms, aware that he's not exactly being helpful.

"Don't know what you want from me," Will says. "You know how I am. Emotions aren't my thing."

_ You learned, _ Joey signs.  _ You've improved. _

"Doesn't mean they're my thing. I'm not pretending to have any idea what's going on here."

_ Pop, _ Joey signs, and Will completely gives up on prepping food, abandoning his work to turn and give Joey his full attention.

"Don't know what you want from me, Joey," he says. "I've told you what I've got, even if it isn't much. It felt right, so I did it. Spur of the moment thing."

_ You can't just act on spur of the moment things, _ Joey signs.  _ You have to think things through now. The situation is delicate. _

"I get that."

_ Just because you get that doesn't mean you're actually going to do it. Think things through. Don't just act. Think about the consequences of what you're doing. _

Will's never been all that good at the whole consequences thing. He's just been really good at getting  _ out _ of those consequences.

_ Please, pop. _

"You know I can't deny you a damn thing," Will mutters. "Asking me is unfair."

_ You've never had any issue with things being unfair before, _ Joey signs, but there's a grin on his face when he says it.  _ Think things through. Try and... discern your own motivations. Because if this goes wrong, it would affect a lot more than just you. _

"Alright," Will grumbles. There's no point in trying to argue with Joey. Whatever Joey asks him, he's going to try and do... period.

Tanya and Alfred arrive home not long before the Kents start showing up. Slade makes a point of pulling Clark aside to tell him Bruce won't be joining them, no doubt in an attempt to minimize the chance of being caught. Slade and him can control their heart beats, keeping them from sounding like bongo drums when they lie, but Will doubts the kids have the same kind of control. Too many Krpytonians who might be able to spot the lie.

Will focuses on the food instead. The food's nice and safe. Reliable. He knows he's a good chef, and getting to show it off feels satisfying.

"You should be a professional," Lois tells him as they eat.

"Thought about it," he says. "But keeping this family fed is hard enough. Don't really have time for dealing with restaurants."

"He'd want to run his own," Slade says, "and no one would be willing to work with him."

"Can't argue that," Will says and goes to get the next course.

He waits for something to go wrong, but nothing does. If Tanya can tell there's something being hidden from her, she doesn't show it. Clark does seem to guess something's off, but he's polite enough not to ask, and the boys are oblivious.

Kara's the only sticking point. She seems  _ interested, _ but she doesn't have a full understanding. She's only just meeting a lot of them, getting names for the first time.

Really, the biggest surprise of the night is when Tanya first runs into the clones.

"Conner?" She blurts, looking shocked. "What—"

"We aren't Conner," Ren says. "You know him?"

"I—yeah, sort of. He was a Teen Titan at one point. I guess it's more like I know  _ of _ him."

"You should tell us about him," Ore says, leaning in, his excitement obvious. "Please?"

"I... uh, sure," Tanya says. "I don't know how much I can help with that, but..."

"They're clones," Clark clarifies. "The same process that made Conner, only rather than one, we got five."

"Oh," Tanya says, exhaling. "That makes a lot more sense than what I thought. I was... I mean, I don't even  _ know _ what I was thinking."

The clones seem interested in Tanya, with Ore in particular rattling off questions to her over dinner. Gar and Blue lose interest, their attention shifting back to Kara instead.

"I'm going to take some food to Bruce," Will says as dinner's starting to wrap up. "I made him some soup that might help."

It isn't a lie: he  _ has _ made some soup.

"Tell him we've missed him," Martha says. "Shame he came down with something, but we'll just have to do this again sometime!"

Bruce isn't in bed when Will reaches his room, knocking once before letting himself in. He's sitting in a chair, his laptop resting on his lap, and he glances up, raising an eyebrow when he spots Will before he notices the tray.

"Breakfast in bed?"

"Breakfast in chair," Will confirms, setting it down. "Soup, since you're supposed to be sick. Surprised you're even sitting up."

"I have a high pain tolerance. Have you told Tanya yet?" Bruce asks, reaching over to grab the bowl of soup.

"Kent's are still here. I'll do it when they're gone."

"Don't put it—"

"I know," Will says. "Eat your soup. I'll handle Tanya."


	13. Chapter 13

Will makes sure the Kent's are on their way home before he seeks out Tanya. Alfred doesn't need to be told—he already knows—although he wonders if he shouldn't give him a heads up that everyone  _ else _ knows just in case.

"Tanya," he says. "Need to talk to you."

She's back on the laptop in the library, having gone back to her research before the Kent's had even left the property. Will isn't the type of person to inspect someone else's motives, but he knows Alfred suspected it was about control. Tanya needs to feel in control, so she studies. She gets a better understanding. She is  _ prepared. _

"About?"

Will grabs one of the other seats in the library, pulling it over close to hers before settling in.

"We know better than to try and hide things from people who live here," Will says, "because the secret always comes out."

"Oh no," Tanya says, her voice whisper soft. She looks like she's dreading the worst, which Will feels is  _ probably _ silly. Joey, sure, he has a good reason, but Tanya?

"It's nothing bad," he says. "Bruce and I are dating."

Tanya's reaction is unquestionably horrified. She actually jerks backwards like she's been hit, staring at him in shock.

"You—Bruce is having an  _ affair?" _

"It's not an affair," he says. "Slade knows."

"You can't just—you can't just say  _ Slade knows _ and have it be fine! He's married, Will!"

"I know he's married," Will grumbles. He's already hating the conversation. It was fine with everyone else, and  _ they _ have a reason to be worried. Tanya, on the other hand, does not. "I'm  _ very _ aware of the fact that someone else got to him first."

Tanya pushes herself to her feet, waving her hands.

"Will, you are going to—you aren't even thinking about this. You are going to ruin this for them. They are happily married, they've got kids, they live together, and now you're shoving yourself into their relationship and you're going to ruin it!"

"I'm not going to ruin it," he snaps. He's still sitting down, mostly because he's pretty sure Billy once told him he was  _ intimidating _ when he yells while standing up. He's not  _ trying _ to intimidate her, but he's pretty sure it's happening anyway. "This is me trying."

"You can't just say you're trying! Saying you're trying isn't enough! You are... It's like you don't even realize," Tanya says, sounding more exasperated with every word. "Will—Will, you ruin things by being around them. You hurt people without even trying. My life has been a spiral since I met you and every time I think it's looking up it falls apart again. I thought I had a place with Defiance, and then it blew up in my face. I thought I had friends. And now I... I don't have  _ anything, _ Will. I don't have... I have nothing."

Her anger breaks mid-rant, crashing down around her head to be replaced only with misery. She looks on the verge of tears as she paces back and forth.

"You don't—you always have nothing because you're entirely self contained and you want it that way, but I can't be like that. I need people, and I just lost everyone. I lost my mom, I lost Roscoe, and now I've lost everyone else. My friends. The team. Everyone I knew and cared about and they're all gone, and right now the only thing I have is this house and the people in it. That's all. That's everything I have, Will, and you are going to... you're going to break it."

She looks terrified, and Will realizes that she's facing her worst fear right then. It's not the fear that she can't go home, because Tanya's already accepted that as the truth: no, it's the fear that she's going to lose what little she has left. She has almost nothing, and not not even forty-eight hours into her stay she's facing the threat of losing it.

"Tanya—"

"I know—I know I can't change this so please just... just give me some space. Just give me... I need some space."

She leaves then. He guesses she's going for her room, but the fact that she's left her laptop behind makes it clear how upset she is. Even if she didn't cry in front of him, he can still  _ tell, _ and that means it's an extreme case.

He doesn't go after her.

Instead, Joey catches him on his way out the door, pulling on his shoes and pondering a jacket.

_ Pop, where are you going? _ Joey signs, looking alarmed.

"I need to go buy a dog."

_ A dog? Pop, please tell me you're not going to try and get another Roscoe. _

"Then I won't," he says flatly, but Joey reaches out, grabbing his forearm to hold him in place.

Not that he can  _ really _ hold him in place, but the sentiment is there.

_ A dog won't help, _ Joey mouths, and he stares up at him for a moment before he releases Will's arm.

_ Did Tanya say she wanted a dog?  _ Joey signs, his eyebrows going up.

"No. She implied it."

_ She didn't imply it, pop. Tanya's not going to ask for a dog with things how they are. Did it not go well? _

"It went terribly," Will mutters. Tanya's right: things are spiraling out of control. She just doesn't see  _ how. _

_ We can work on this, pop. Just because she's having issues with it now doesn't change things. I'm sure you can win her over if you just have some time. _

Will takes a deep breath and takes his shoes back off. Joey's right: a dog isn't going to fix things.

"I'll figure things out," Will says. It's a lie. He's already figured things out. Joey looks happy though, and Will doesn't want to drag him down.

But Tanya's right. Joey's right.

They're all right and that makes it obvious what he has to do. He's going to screw it up, and screwing it up is going to drag Bruce and Slade down with him. Tanya might have said it more plainly, but she's not the only one thinking it.

He's in the relationship for the wrong reasons. He's going to hurt people.

Will pulls Joey in for a quick hug, and then nudges him away.

"I'll handle it," he says. "You don't need to worry about it."

Joey gives him a funny look.

_ Pop, is this one of those moments where you're going to do something really stupid? _

"It's not stupid," Will says. "Go talk to Jason."

Joey looks like he's about to argue, his hands starting to move to protest, but after a moment he hesitates, letting them fall.

Maybe he recognizes the look on Will's face. Maybe he knows there's no convincing him otherwise.

_ Alright, _ he finally signals, giving a quick nod before turning away.

Joey leaves, and Will turns himself towards the family wing. He heads towards the master bedroom, knocking once before letting himself in.

Bruce is lying in bed, tapping through something on his phone, and when he looks up and sees Will he looks genuinely surprised.

"...Everything go alright?"

"No," Will says. He's not going to pretend like it does. He's not going to lie. Bruce sits up a bit, wincing as he does, and that only convinces Will that he's right to do it even more. "I'm breaking up with you. This was a stupid idea, and I'm calling an end to it."

Bruce looks like he's been slapped in the face, and Will doesn't stick around for Bruce to try and talk him out of it. Instead he leaves, closing the door behind him as he does.

He doesn't know what to do after that. Eventually, someone's going to come searching for him and they're probably going to want to  _ talk _ about it, but Will doesn't. He feels... hurt. His chest aches and his throat feels tight and even if he knows it's the right thing for him to do, it still  _ hurts. _

In the end he doesn't go anywhere at all. Instead he goes outside, staring up at the stars. They're far enough from the city that they can still see them, far enough away he can really take in the view.

He finds a way up and scales the side of the manor to the roof. There's a flat spot over by the family wing that he lets himself lie on, sprawling out on his back as he stares up at the sky.

The stars are a constant. It's the same stars he's used to, familiar and normal. The next day he's going to have to deal with the fallout, but right then he's safe from it. No one knows there's trouble. No one knows where to find him. He can just spend the night staring up at them and wonder when the hurt is going to stop.


	14. Chapter 14

Will watches the stars as they spin overhead and tries not to think at all. It's easier said than done. People—it could just be Bruce sand Slade, or it could be everyone—are probably worried about him. They probably don't know where he went.

But the longer he stays up there, the more right it feels, even if it feels like someone's taken a knife to his gut. There's a million reasons why it wouldn't work, and thinking of even one of them feels like a poker to his guts.

He hurt Bruce. Bruce was upset with him because he hurt him. He hadn't even realized it was an issue, but he'd hurt him anyway. He'd let himself be smug about causing him pain.

Will rolls onto his side and lets his eyes drift closed.

He wakes to the sound of footsteps coming across the roof. A single pair of feet, heavy. Slade or Bruce or Jason, but not Damian or Joey.

He cracks an eye open and spots expensive shoes carefully picking their way across the roof.

Bruce, then.

"We should probably talk," Bruce says, and Will squeezes his eyes shut. He doesn't want to talk.

"How'd you find me?" He says, because it's easier than talking.

"You probably don't want to hear it, but Slade came to this exact spot when we first... fought. If you can call it that."

Bruce plops himself down beside Will, which makes ignoring him difficult.

"I was under the impression that breakups were unilateral," Will mutters. It's not as if Bruce gets a say. All it takes is one person saying  _ no _ and then it's over.

"They are," Bruce says. "But I thought we should talk it out anyway. I... was under the impression that our date went fairly well."

Oh. Will supposes that from any other perspective, he slept with Bruce and then dumped him the same day. Even he can't miss what an asshole move  _ that _ is.

"I hurt you," he says, his eyes firmly shut. He doesn't want to see the hurt look on Bruce's face right then. "And then I was pleased I hurt you, because it meant you couldn't forget."

"Will," Bruce says, and the way he says it sounds so tired. "If I'd wanted you to stop, I'd have told you to stop."

"But you didn't plan on it. You didn't want that to be our first date."

Bruce is silent long enough that Will wonders if he's even going to answer, but he does in the end, sounding resigned.

"You're right," he says. "That wasn't how I thought the first date was going to go. I... made a mistake, and I did the exact thing I said I wouldn't. I started treating you like Slade. My first date with Slade went differently from that. Slade held off for...  _ ages. _ Honestly, looking back I'm not sure how he managed."

"Better self control," Will mumbles.

"No. He'd just already been waiting years—what was a few more weeks or months after that? Meanwhile this was... this was all new to you."

He doesn't want to talk about it. He really doesn't. He wants to sleep. Maybe he'll just sleep through the whole damn day, because when he comes down he's going to have to tell the boys and Tanya and he doesn't want to do that either.

"I think we should talk about why," Bruce says.

"I really don't want to."

He really, really doesn't.

"Well, as the person who just got dumped, I am going to go out on a limb and say you  _ owe _ me an explanation, considering we live in the same house and it's going to be really awkward if you don't."

Crap. Bruce kind of has him there, doesn't he?

"I screw things up," he says. "I always screw things up, and right now what you and Slade have is a good thing. If I try and stay involved, I'm going to screw up your relationship by sheer proximity."

"I don't think that."

"You should," Will says flatly. He doesn't think Bruce means it. He thinks Brue  _ is _ expecting him to screw up, and he can't blame him for that. "My track record speaks for itself. I've got no impulse control, I'm possessive as hell, and I left bruises all over you so I could feel smug that it was  _ me _ who left bruises rather than  _ him. _ He might be willing to put his jealousy aside, but I can't. I'm not—I can't, Bruce."

Bruce goes silent again, and then Will feels a brush of fingers against his arm.

"Will," Bruce says, "do you know why Slade said we could try this?"

He doesn't know why Bruce has to rub it in, so he simply doesn't answer. He already knows Slade's a better version of him.

Bruce's hand lifts away, and Will cracks an eye open, watching Bruce reach up, peeling off his watch before holding it out for Will to take.

"Look," he says. Will doesn't bother to pretend like he wasn't paying attention. He reaches up, taking the watch, and inspects it.

It's the same one that Bruce always wears. Nice. Expensive. The kind of watch no one would bat an eye at if they saw Bruce wearing it. He flips it over, and on the back there's an obvious inscription.

_ You make me better,  _ it says, and below that is a fancy S.

"Slade gave that to me not long after we first started dating," Bruce says. "He said I made him a better person, and that's the same reason he was willing to let us try this. He said he felt like... it wasn't fair that he'd get a chance with me and you wouldn't."

It's a strange, painful sentiment.

"But this isn't fair to you, either," Bruce continues. "Because it's just treating you like you're  _ Slade two-point-oh.  _ Like if he pushes the two of us together enough, every rough edge I smoothed out for him will get smoothed out in you. He wants that for you. He wants you to... to be better than you are."

Will gives the watch back. He doesn't want it, not right then, and tries not to look as Bruce returns it to his wrist.

"When you broke up with me it... it definitely caught me off guard. But thinking about it, and hearing what you said... I'm not sure you were wrong to. I was being unfair to you, treating you this way. I'm not... I'm not a rock tumbler who's going to rough out your edges. That's not what a relationship should be. I want to help you be better than you are, but that... that shouldn't be the foundation for a relationship."

Even though he was the one who broke up with Bruce, hearing it still hurts.

"Slade and I were long past friends before we started dating. The two situations aren't... aren't even  _ remotely _ comparable. I don't want to date you to try and fix you, Will."

Will sucks in a deep breath, bringing his arm up to rest across his face. It hurts. It hurts even though it has no reason to. It's already over and done with. They've already broken up. There's nothing more that should hurt, but it hurts anyway.

"I care about you," Bruce says, "but I think you have to work on yourself before we can... before we can really try something like this. Before you can really have an actual relationship."

"Yeah," Will says, and he swears his voice cracks as he says it.

Bruce leans down, giving him a small peck on the forehead.

"I'm not angry," he says. "I know you probably think I am, but I'm not. I'm happy we tried this, even if it didn't work out, and maybe... maybe when things are better we could give it another shot."

Bruce pulls back, and there's another long pause.

"...I'm going to go downstairs," Bruce says. "Do you want me to tell them?"

"...If you want," he says.

Bruce pats his arm and stands up, and Will listens as he moves away, fading into the night.

Everything hurts.


	15. Chapter 15

Will should go inside and spend the night in his bed. It's the smart thing to do. The  _ right _ thing to do.

Instead he spends the night on the roof, staring up at the stars and wondering about the exact point where he'd fucked things up too much to fix.

The very start, he eventually decides.

When the sun starts to peek up over the horizon, Will heads down off the roof and into the house. It's quiet, and he makes it to the kitchen before he spots anything unusual. Joey's pulled an armchair out of the living room into the kitchen so that he can sit and wait for Will to arrive. The problem is that he's fallen asleep there, curled in the chair while still waiting.

Will weighs the pros and cons of getting him a blanket before deciding against. He'll wake soon enough, so instead Will simply starts his food prep, doing what he can to keep the noise down.

Joey wakes when Will is cracking eggs. He clicks his tongue to draw Will's attention, and Will glances over his shoulder for a moment before going back to his eggs.

"Give me a second, I need to get these going."

He's not ready just yet. He needs... maybe just a little bit longer.

But he can only put it off for so long.

"You wanted to talk?" He asks, turning around to face Joey where he sits. He's not prepared for Joey's expression when he does: worried.

Not angry. Worried.

_ Are you okay, pop? _

"I'm fine," he says. It's not that he doesn't feel fine; he simply feels sort of numb.

_ Bruce told us what happened, _ he signs.  _ You don't sound fine. _

"I'm making breakfast," he says. "Business as usual." He makes an attempt to make his voice sound more  _ normal, _ but he doesn't really see much of a difference. It all sounds the same to him. It all feels the same.

Joey gets up from his chair, walks over, and throws his arms around Will's shoulders. It doesn't let him talk, but the sentiment is clear enough anyway, and after a moment Will returns the gesture.

Joey's trying to support him, even if he doesn't feel like he need supporting.

_ We should talk, _ Joey signs when the hug breaks.

"I need to do breakfast."

_ It sure seems like you're using your chores to avoid the conversation. _

Guilty.

"There's nothing to really talk about," Will says. "It's between me and Bruce, and we've already talked it out."

_ Pop, did you break up with Bruce because of our talk yesterday? _

Will doesn't know how to answer that. The answer, he supposes, is  _ sort of yes. _

"You didn't do anything wrong," he says after a moment. "You just helped me realize that I was going to get people hurt."

_ Pop. _

"I'm serious," Will says. "You were right."

_ Pop, _ Joey signs again, obviously exasperated.  _ Can we please talk about this? _

Will sighs and turns off the stove.

"Fine," he says. "In privacy."

He's not having a conversation about his failed relationship in the kitchen. In the end, they go back to his room, and Will sinks down onto the bed, letting out a sigh as he rubs his forehead.

He doesn't want to have this conversation. He wants things to go back to normal. He just wants... something. Something he can't put a word to.

Maybe he doesn't know what he wants.

_ Pop, you like him. You can't just let him go. _

"Joey, it didn't occur to me until hours afterward that maybe I shouldn't have spent the whole day biting him without asking him first," Will says with a curt wave. "How long did it take me to be able to tell you I cared? My  _ daughter _ is never going to know that I love her because in the nineteen years of her life, I never thought I should."

Joey winces, and for a moment he looks away.

_ Pop, why don't we take some time away?  _ Joey signs.  _ Get some space. _

Space. Maybe that would be better.

Hell, maybe he'll just  _ go _ to space. That would get him nice and far from his problems.

Joey hugs him again, and Will lets out a sigh. He doesn't want to deal with it. He doesn't want to deal with  _ any _ of it.

Joey shifts his arms up and pulls Will tighter against him. Will slumps his head, burying his face against Joey's shoulder, and tries not to think.

When Joey pulls back, he does so with clear instructions.

_ Stay here, pop. I'll be back soon, alright? _

Will has breakfast to make. He needs to get that started. But it's easier not to argue with Joey. It's easier to just sit there and wait. It's easier to just  _ not. _

So he doesn't. He does nothing, simply sitting on his bed and waiting for Joey to get back. When he does, Joey looks more confident and in control, less... worried.

_ Pop, I think you need some space. _

"I'm fine," he says. "I need to get to breakfast—"

_ Pop, you've spent the whole morning despondent and crying and I don't think you even noticed. You're going to come with me, we're going to go on a trip, and you're going to have some space. Then we can come back and start fresh. _

He was wrong, Will realizes. Joey still looks worried as he reaches up, touching the side of Will's face.

"Tanya—"

"Will be perfectly fine here," Joey says. "Bruce and Slade can handle things. Tanya's not in any danger, and I'm worried you're going to do something stupid."

It takes Will a second to realize that Joey's pressed an earpiece into his ear, and the reasoning becomes obvious as Joey starts rifling through Will's drawers, shoving clothing into his bag.

"We're going on a road trip."

"I have things here," Will says, exasperated. He's not that bad. He can handle it. He has... he has obligations. "I have therapy, and... cooking."

"That's nice," Joey says without looking. Will isn't sure where he got the bag. "You're still coming on my road trip. Alfred can handle cooking for a bit. You can get therapy over the phone. With how much Bruce is paying them, they can manage a remote session if we're gone that long."

"You have church—"

"On Sunday. If we're still gone, I can miss a week."

Joey zips the bag up and turns around, dropping it in Will's closet.

"Where exactly are we going?" Will asks, bewildered.

"No idea," Joey says with a shrug. "I'll figure it out when I get there. The point is to give you space away from this situation so you don't keep running yourself into the ground. Where did you even sleep last night?"

"The roof."

Joey gives him an annoyed look.

"Exactly. Now come on."

"I should—"

"I already told them," Joey says, nudging Will to his feet. "The point is space. You aren't going to be gone that long, but what matters is that you need to be able to go to the bathroom without worrying about running into your ex."

His ex. Bruce is his  _ ex. _

"I'm a mess," Will mutters, and the corner of Joey's mouth twitches.

"You are a bit of a mess, pop. Everyone's a mess after their first breakup."

"Joey, I was divorced."

"You got divorced when you had the emotional capacity of a cucumber," Joey says flatly. "This is different. You're more... in tune with your emotions now."

Will's pretty sure he should be insulted, but if anything it feels like Joey was being overly generous.

So he gets up. He lets Joey guide him along to the front of the house. He grabs his shoes, and then doubles back to his room for the Ikon suit, just in case.

He doesn't see anyone else as they leave, and he thinks that's probably a good thing.


	16. Chapter 16

Will dozes for the first part of the drive. He doesn't know where they're going, and he doesn't think it really matters. The point is to get him away from the situation. To give him space.

"Joey," he says when they stop at a rest station off the highway to get some gas. "Don't you think this is a bit extreme? You've got Jason."

"Jason is fine with me being gone a bit, pop. We're not joined at the hip."

"...Jobs?" He ventures. He actually has no idea how Joey's making any money. Is he just living off the Waynes?

"The thing at church is a part time thing," Joey says, and Will's happy for the earpiece. The conversation would be a  _ lot _ different if Joey had to constantly stop to sign at him while pumping gas. "And the thing at the gallery isn't till next month."

"I didn't know you had a thing at a gallery."

"Didn't seem like something you would be interested in. They're doing a little show about the Justice League, and I'm going to have a few pieces displayed."

"Did Bruce—"

"No, just on my own merits," Joey says pointedly. "Bruce didn't do any introductions or anything like that."

"...You know I think your art is good," Will mutters. "I wasn't doubting that. There's just nothing wrong with getting help from people you know."

"I know, pop. But I've gone my whole life with everything I had being because of my parents, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it on my own. Now I am."

Joey ducks inside the station to get snacks and water, dropping them on Will's lap when he returns before taking over the driver's seat.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Will asks as Joey gets them back on the highway.

"You probably don't remember this," Joey says, which is dead wrong because Will remembers  _ everything,  _ "but when I was thirteen you promised Grant and I a family trip, and then you had to leave for a job and ma ran off to try and find you, so we never ended up going."

"...Joey, are you taking me to Disney World?" Will asks, horrified.

"I mean, technically you're taking  _ me _ to Disney World," Joey says. "But yes."

"You lived in  _ Los Angeles,"  _ Will says. "You went to Disneyland all the time! It was right there!"

"Disney World is different," Joey points out. "Either way, the point isn't Disney World. The point is that it's a place we can both go together. Maybe you'll even have fun."

Will absolutely cannot imagine having fun at a  _ theme park for children. _ But he supposes that Joey's right: the destination doesn't matter. The distance does.

"Want me to drive?"

"You can take over after we get lunch," Joey says.

They lapse into silence for a while, and Will stares out the window, watching the world go by.

"...I'm proud of you, you know," Will says after a while. He's not looking at Joey, so he can't see his reaction, but it doesn't take long for him to reply.

"I know, pop."

"I just feel like I don't tell you that enough."

"You didn't," Joey says. "Now you do. But... it's still nice hearing it."

"Then I'll keep saying it."

They stop for lunch at a local place, and the food tastes like crap.

"...They're probably starving," Will mutters. Joey raises his eyebrows, looking baffled, and Will grunts.

"The Waynes," he clarifies. "None of them can cook worth a damn."

_ Alfred's managing. I talked to him before we left, he said it was just fine. He was handling things for years before you showed up. _

Will doesn't bring them up again. It's too easy to slip back into that mindset, and he doesn't want to. Better to stay in the present. To focus on his driving, rather than what's happening back at home.

Home, he realizes. The manor is home. That's another painful thought, and he tries to stave it off by talking about other things.

"Tell me about your paintings," Will says. "The ones that are going to be in the show."

Joey does. He seems to catch on that Will wants to fill the time, and when he's talked about the ones in the show he starts talking about other ones. Eventually, he wanders back to the first one he made since arriving: the one of Jason staring out over the city.

"You showed me," Will reminds him. "...You really love him, don't you?"

"Yeah," Joey confirms. "When I was with anyone else, I thought I was in love with them. But when I'm with Jason it feels different. We're... equals. Partners. There's more than just... infatuation, I guess."

"Are you going to marry him?"

Joey makes a little wheeze noise, and he doesn't reply right away.

"I don't know," Joey says. "I thought about it. It just feels too early. I love him, but it's only been six months, and I'm worried that it's too soon. I'm worried it'll... wear off."

"It won't," Will says. "Not if you really love him."

"...Did you really love ma?"

That's another painful question.

"I did," he says. "I loved her more than anything. Those early years... I was happy, I guess. Being with her, I mean. But then things got all twisted up."

"And you stopped loving her."

"No," Will says, and he takes a second, pretending to focus on the road. Not like it matters: it's clear, easy driving. "Part of me still loves her, even after everything. Part of me is always going to wish we'd worked out."

"Love isn't enough," Joey says, and Will spares a glance. He looks... serious. Stoic. "My therapist told me that once. That... it didn't matter if someone loved you. It mattered what they did. Their actions. People can do awful things in the name of love. Love isn't a... a magic wand that you wave and it suddenly makes everything alright. Ma was like that. She loved me, and I don't doubt that at all, not even for a second, but... it was a toxic love. The things she did in the name of love hurt me a lot."

"The things I did hurt you a lot," Will says, and the corner of Joey's mouth twitches.

"Yeah," he confirms. "But you're here now, and you're trying to do better. I'm not going to keep raking you over the coals for it. I probably... shouldn't have asked about ma at all, really."

"It was a fair question," he says. "Not going to blame you for it, considering I started it by asking about Jason."

"You don't need to be so quick to blame yourself, you know," Joey says. "Anyone would say I was the one at fault for asking about ma when I knew that would probably hurt. No one would have blamed you."

Will would have.

"I'll keep that in mind," he says instead. "Thoughts for dinner? We've still got a ways to go, but..."

He just wants to talk about something else.


	17. Chapter 17

They could make it there if they kept on driving, but they choose not to. There's no rush, no grand hurry. They don't  _ need _ to be anywhere, so Will has Joey look up a nice place to stay. He might be willing to stay in the world's shabbiest motel, but he's not going to let Joey.

They have to go a bit off the highway, but end up stopping around dinner at a golf resort. It's obviously expensive, clearly well maintained, and obviously intended for long stays. The front desk seems confused by the fact that they didn't have reservations, but more than happy to book them a room for the night.

_ They've got a spa and a barber,  _ Joey signs.  _ I need to get my hair trimmed. _

"Why don't we get a late dinner, then."

Joey makes Will relay his instructions to the Barber rather than messing around with a speaker, and then manages to convince Will to get his own hair trimmed.

_ It's getting long, _ Joey points out. Will's only had it cut once since he arrived, and he catches himself running his fingers through it with a huff.

It's not a bad idea. Right then he's wearing a style that looks a lot like Slade's, and that's the last thing he wants.

"Sure," he says. "I'll get it cut."

An hour later Will's regretting his choice. He's not sure how the hell Joey managed to convince him to shave, and he's even less sure about how Joey managed to convince him to keep his hair long on the top and short on the sides.

"I look young," he grumbles. "No one would think I was your father."

In fact he's pretty sure most people would call bullshit if he tried to say he was.

_ Does it matter? _ Joey asks, raising an eyebrow as they head for the resort's restaurant.  _ That's going to happen more and more either way. _

"It matters to me," he mutters, but the conversation putters out as the host seats them. Joey's right, one way or another: Joey isn't a little boy anymore, and every year makes him a bit older. Will, on the other hand, is staying the same. His pictures from a decade ago look almost identical to his pictures then.

No one's ever pointed it out before, but now that it's been pointed out to him he can't stop thinking about it. He should be focusing on the food—good, high class, with a chef that obviously cares about what they're serving—but instead he's distracted, mind unable to look away from the possibilities.

Right then he still looks older than Joey. Maybe not old enough to be his father, but older. In five years they'll look more like brothers. In ten, they'll look the same age.

"Pop?" Joey says, and Will glances up, frowning.

"Sorry," he says, only half meaning it. "Got lost in my own head."

_ I noticed, _ Joey signs.  _ What were you thinking about? _

"Bad things," Will mutters, hoping Joey isn't going to push, but he does, scowling at him as he stares expectantly. "I was thinking about the fact that in a couple years people will think we're brothers."

_ That's what happens when you don't age, pop, _ Joey signs. He doesn't look particularly surprised or disturbed by the conversation, which tells Will that he's probably thought about it before.  _ It was always going to happen at some point. _

Maybe he's just paying more attention since Slade  _ does _ look his age, but the more he thinks about it, the more it bothers him. He doesn't want to look younger than Joey, and he's not even going to let himself think about the other implications.

_ Think about something happy, pop, _ Joey signs.  _ Did you want to try the steak? _

When they eat that evening, it's the kind of food that comes with five or six word names. It's not just  _ steak  _ or  _ a new york steak, _ it's specifically  _ iron-roasted with a side of fairytale pumpkin.  _ Will can't help but feel like it's pretentious, which he supposes will always put him at odds with high end cuisine.

But it does distract him, at least for a bit.

The room they spend the night in is nice, with everything either of them could expect. Will's spent a lot of time in high end hotel rooms, and the kind of place that bills itself as a  _ resort and spa _ rather than a  _ hotel _ tend to be a different class altogether. It means they're focusing more on making you want to stay via amenities than counting on business coming through because they need to be in the area. They've got a balcony with a nice view of the grounds, a tub that's almost as good as the one in the manor, and there's a tray of snacks left out for them compliments of the manager when they finally make it up to the room.

"I guess we'll leave early tomorrow?" Will asks.

_ You know, _ Joey signs,  _ there's the Special Operations military museum nearby. _

"Not exactly big on military museums," Will says flatly. "Why not pick something  _ you _ want?"

_ That would be an art museum, _ Joey signs,  _ only all the good ones we've already passed. Every place between here and Florida either has a giant sombrero or a We Welcome UFOs sign. _

"I'll let you drag me to Disney," Will says, "but I am not walking into one of those tourist traps."

_ Well, _ Joey signs as if what he's about to suggest wasn't his plan from the very beginning,  _ if we go a bit out of our way, there's an art museum with a nice Leyendecker exhibit. _

"Next time just start with that," Will says. "We can go there first."

_ I'll look up— _

Joey pauses mid-sign as a phone rings, and Will has to double check before confirming it's his.

"From the house," he says. "I'll take it."

If they're calling, it's probably important, so he steps out onto the balcony, leaving Joey in the room to take the call.

He's expecting Alfred asking where he's put something, or maybe Slade checking in. Instead, the moment he picks up the first thing he hears is quiet sobbing.

Well, that makes it obvious who's calling.

"Tanya?"

"Mr. Wilson," she chokes out, and it's clear she's bawling her eyes out on the other side. Will makes a point of turning his body away so Joey can't possibly read his lips, leaning on the railing as he tries to process what she's saying in between the sobs. "I know I'm supposed to give you space, but please tell me you're not gone for good?"

Well, at least that's easy.

"I'm not gone for good, Tanya," he says. "I'm just on vacation."

He shouldn't have left her. She's having a breakdown back at the manor and he's at least a half a day away.

"Talk with me," he says.

"You can come back," she begs. "You can come back and get back together with Mr. Wayne and I won't say a single thing, I swear—"

"Tanya," he says, cutting her off before she can ramble any more, "I'm not getting back together with Bruce."

"But you broke up—"

"The fact that we broke up was not your fault," he says flatly. He's not leaving any room for argument on that. "Bruce and I would have broken up either way. The only thing you did was help me realize that if I dragged it out, I was probably going to hurt the people around me."

"You broke up—"

"We broke up because we weren't working out as a couple, and none of that is on your shoulders. Now take a deep breath."

Why is he in charge of keeping her from crying? This isn't... he has no idea what the hell he's supposed to be doing, and without any sort of better option he's forced to go with what little he knows.

He tries to pretend like she's a client and work from there. How does he stop her from being upset?

"You need to talk to the Wayne's, Tanya. Bruce or Slade or someone. Hell, even Jason." It doesn't help that she doesn't know them. "Clark?" He suggests, because that's someone she's sort of  _ vaguely _ aware of.

"Tim... Tim's going to come over tomorrow," she says, and at the very least she's not  _ sobbing _ anymore, even if she's still upset.

"Tim then," he says. "Talk to Tim about this. He can help make sure you can talk to the right people, alright?"

"...Alright," she says.

Which absolutely isn't fair to Tim, but Tim's momentary comfort is secondary to Tanya not losing her mind. He'll deal with it.

The problem, as far as he can tell, is that she doesn't have any control of her own life. She's lost her friends, her powers, her job... she has no  _ control, _ and that's at least something he can take care of.

"Tanya," he says, "I need you to do something for me."

He can almost hear her perk up. This is what she needs. She needs to feel  _ relied on, _ even if it's something small and stupid.

"Anything," she says, and he knows she doesn't mean it. She thinks she does, but she doesn't.

"I know I've got no right to ask this of you," he says, which is a lie but also one she needs to hear, "but please don't tell the family—especially Damian—about Roscoe."

It's a risk bringing up the dog around her, but it's the only thing he's got. It puts control of the situation explicitly in her hands, leaving him (effectively) at her mercy.

"About... Roscoe?" She asks, and at least the tears have stopped.

"Damian loves animals. He'll forgive me for all the people I've hurt, but if he found out I hurt a dog I'm not sure he ever would."

"Oh," she says quietly. "I... I won't mention it."

He didn't think she would, but the point is the reminder, not the message itself. The reminder that at least for that one thing, she's the one in control.

"Thanks," he says. "I know I have no right to ask it of you, but it means a lot." It's a lie, but a small one as far as Will's concerned.

"I should let you go," she says quietly. "I didn't mean to bother you, I just—"

"It's fine, Tanya. We'll be back before you know it."

Before he goes inside, he makes sure his bases are covered. He sends Tim a text giving him some warning that he might get dumped on by a teenage girl, and then shoots another one as well letting him know what happened. He hesitates on who to send it to, but in the end goes with Slade. Slade's more familiar to her by default, while Bruce is just another reminder of the thing she thinks she fucked up.


	18. Chapter 18

Joey doesn't bother him at the phone call, and Will's pretty sure that's because he assumes it was from Bruce. He can't risk crosstalk though, so he's up front about it, relaying simply that Tanya was upset, and that among other things he asked her not to mention Roscoe. Even if Joey wasn't there for what happened, the presence of Roscoe  _ Junior _ probably told him more than he needed to know, and Joey doesn't demand to know more.

Will visits the resorts boutique and buys some more clothes for himself. As well meaning as Joey was, he didn't pack enough for more than a few days, and Will isn't planning to spend his trip doing laundry.

They spend the morning at the art museum Joey wanted to see to, and Will is  _ not _ having a fun time. Art isn't...  _ him. _ He has a clear understanding of it, knows all the theory, but staring at the paintings he feels nothing.

Joey, though, clearly loves it. His eyes light up as he wanders between the paintings, staring up at them.

"Do you know about him?" Joey asks through Will's earpiece, not tearing his eyes away from the paintings.

"J.C. Leyendecker," Will says flatly. "I read the sign at the front. Predecessor of Norman Rockwell, the guy who did a ton of stuff everyone's seen."

Joey pauses in front of a sketch in colored pencils of shirtless men rowing.

"They showed us his stuff when ma had me in all those art classes," Joey explains. "He used to do a lot of... of attractive shirtless men. Looking at his stuff helped me realize that maybe I was... ah, interested in guys."

Will wonders if he'd be saying all that out loud, or if he's only willing to because Will's the only person who can hear him.

"So you're a fan."

"How could I not be? He was an gay man who lived to a ripe old age with a man he loved... and he made absolutely amazing art."

The corners of Will's mouth twitch.

"Your art's already as good as his."

Joey elbows Will in the side.

"Don't say that when we're in  _ his _ show. It's disrespectful."

"It's true."

"I'm not even close to him."

"Mmm, agree to disagree," Will says, and Joey elbows him again.

They spend around two hours there, and even if none of the art interests him, it's good to see Joey so excited. The rest of the day's trip is  _ far _ less exciting. Really, just a lot of driving. By the time they make it to Disney, the sun's down, and Will is ready to be done driving.

"What's the plan?" He asks as they leave the highway. "Where are we going?"

"Pick a hotel," Joey says with a yawn. "We can figure it out in the morning."

He picks the first one he finds, which turns out to be booked solid. They get directed to a different hotel, valet the car, and make it all the way to the front desk before things derail.

The woman behind the desk gets as far as taking the card Joey offers before she clues in, her eyes going as wide as dinner plates as she double takes at the two of them.

"...Just one moment," she says quickly, and then quickly scurries off.

They haven't even been waiting a whole minute when a man appears in the doorway. He's in his thirties, with a name tag that says  _ guest relations _ underneath it.

"Mr. Wilson?" He says, glancing between the two of them. "We weren't notified you'd be coming, but we'd love to offer you an upgrade to one of our deluxe rooms."

Which makes sense. Will is, in a weird way, a celebrity. Maybe not a  _ famous _ one, but  _ infamous _ isn't too far off. They want to keep an eye on him, and probably keep him from being noticed too much.

Fat chance of that.

But Joey doesn't protest, so he lets the staff escort them over to the other hotel. It's nicer, and the room they get is even larger than the ones they have in the manor. They have access to a special lounge where there's treats and snacks, and the staff in general seem perfectly happy to make sure that everything they want is taken care of.

They offer to send food up to the room, which Will takes as a desperate attempt to keep them from being spotted as long as possible. He imagines management are running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to figure out how to handle the fact that Deathstroke's just shown up to go to Disney World.

"I love you," Will says unprompted as they eat. He feels like he should say it—like he can never say it enough.

_ I know, pop, _ Joey signs.  _ Or else you wouldn't have let me drag you here to get gawked at. _

"The haircut will keep too many people from recognizing me," Will points out. His white hair is a much bigger problem then Joey's natural blond.

Joey gives him a  _ look _ that makes it clear he's missed the mark.

"...What?"

_ Pop, you do know we have wikipedia pages, yeah? _

Will did  _ not _ know that, and he grabs his phone, pulling up the browser. He's kept up to date on the news, but  _ keeping up to date on the news _ is not the same thing as googling himself.

He does have a wikipedia page. The photo is one of the ones from the very first news articles, back when he only had one eye, but farther down the page is a more recent one that looks like it was taken on one of his trips to the grocery store.

_ William Wilson is one of three known interdimensional travelers, _ the article starts. There's a link on the sidebar to  _ Joseph Wilson,  _ and a third for  _ Unknown Third Interdimensional traveler. _

How long before Tanya and Kara have pages?

"I didn't... quite realize it was this bad," Will says, dragging his hand down his face.

_ Pop, we're from another dimension, _ Joey signs.  _ People are fascinated. _

"Fair," Will grunts. "Just means I have to prepare for a lot more attention than I thought."

_ I'll hide you, _ Joey says with a wink.  _ Don't you worry. _

That only makes Will worry more, because he's pretty sure Joey's idea of  _ hiding him _ isn't something he's going to like.


	19. Chapter 19

Will is not emotionally prepared for the day that follows. Getting up early isn't a big deal. Breakfast is great.

The fact that Joey immediately drags him into the largest gift shop he can find and starts slapping hats and  _ disney ears _ on him is less so. Even worse is the fact that he takes pictures with almost every one, chewing his lip as he debates.

Will ends up wandering off to look at souvenirs, debating on if he should bring something back. There is a  _ lot _ of very nice stuff, and a  _ lot _ of people he should probably apologize for. He ends up getting a little doggy sweater for Titus, but he's unclear on anyone else's tolerance for the mouse and gets pulled back by Joey before he can do much more.

"These are perfect," Joey says, reaching up to plop a pair of mickey ears onto Slade. When Slade reaches up to take them off, Joey swats his hand away, taking a picture and holding it up. "They're in your colors."

Infuriatingly, they are. The ears themselves are black with sequins, but there's a sequined bow in the  _ exact _ color of orange he used to have on his costume.

"Joey," he says. He's almost begging. "This is a pair of sequined mouse ears with a bow. You can't be serious."

Joey is serious, and he won't let Will take them off. They were given plain wristbands when they first got their rooms, but Joey insists on swapping his out for a rainbow one, and then debates on forcing Will to take either a  _ Grumpy Dwarf _ or some kind of angry red thing, but eventually settles for letting him keep his plain black one.

"I can't believe I'm letting you make me wear these," Will mutters, adjusting his new ears as Joey grabs a cap with rainbow ears for himself.

"Neither can I," Joey says, a grin on his face.

Even if Joey's never been, he clearly has a schedule in mind. He seems to know all the rides at all the different parks, dragging Will through them at an insane pace.

"That one's terrible," he says, pointing to a ride with a blue monster on it. "You'll like this one though."

Will supposes he's  _ vaguely _ enthusiastic about the ride, which is a glorified shooting gallery themed around a kid-friendly alien invasion. The gun can't be aimed worth a damn, but he still does fairly well.

Some of the rides, Will admits, are actually fairly fun. There's a number of roller coasters with unique spins on things, and even a fun little show where animatronic birds sing a song at them. Joey makes him order some kind of pineapple soft serve, and then drags him off to the next thing without giving Will time to sit down.

"You've got time," Will points out. "We aren't in a rush."

_ Pop, there's three more parks after this one, _ Joey points out.  _ We can't just be here forever. _

Will kind of wishes they could. As hectic as it is, there's something undeniably relaxing about the whole thing, almost casual. Even when he catches a few people taking photos (whatever remained of his dignity has been taken out back and shot by the presence of the bow on his head) he can't bring himself to really bother all that much. What matters is that Joey is happy, and Joey  _ is _ happy. He gets the ride photos for everything they go on, and at one point snags a photographer for a proper photo in front of the castle.

_ Smile, _ Joey signs to him, and Will makes himself.

It's easier than it used to be.

The eat a late lunch when Will can convince Joey to stop, and then it's back to the grindstone. Despite a weak attempt to convince Joey to leave the park for dinner, he insists on getting good seats so they can watch the fireworks after Will talks him down from the parade.

"We can do Epcot tomorrow," Joey says as they wait. "You'll like that one more."

"And why will I like that one more?"

"Because one of the most common activities at Epcot is drinking around the world."

Will has to admit that Joey's right, and the next day is  _ far _ more his style. There are a number of pavilions, each themed after a different country, and a wide selection of food and drink make for a much slower paced experience. They spend most of the day drifting from pavilion to pavilion, getting lunch in England to enjoy the fish and chips.

"I guess they're okay," Joey says between bites.

"Billy would be horrified," Will says with a snort.

Will's favorite thing is something called a  _ troll horn,  _ which has cloudberry jam but tastes like heaven. Joey, on the other hand, gets some shaved ice with sweet milk to satisfy his sweet tooth.

By the time they get back to the hotel, Will's pretty sure he's gained a few pounds.

"I was thinking about calling Jason," Joey says as he sprawls out onto his bed.

"Don't hold back on my account," Will says. "Have you not called him since we left?"

"We've been texting," Joey says, pulling out his phone. "You don't mind?"

"Go for it," he says. "I should probably call too."

Joey looks at him for a moment before rolling out of bed, leaning over to give Will a peck on the cheek, reaching up to pull his ears off before setting them on the side table.

_ I'll be outside, _ he signs, and then ducks outside, closing the door behind him.

Which means Will gets to call home. It's a debate on who to call first, but in the end he goes for the nice neutral choice: Alfred.

"Ah, Will," Alfred says when he picks up the phone, "I was wondering if you'd be calling soon."

"Am I that predictable?"

"Jason just excused himself to take a call from your son," Alfred says, sounding amused. "So I assumed you would also be free."

"How're things at the house?"

"An adjustment," Alfred says. "I'm afraid the family is significantly less impressed with my cooking now that you've been spoiling them."

"Well, they'll have to deal," Will says. "How's Tanya?"

"Better than she was. She's started therapy, which is a good step forward. Things have calmed down in general."

"I should talk with her," Will says, rubbing at his forehead with one hand. "I should have brought her with us."

"No, you shouldn't have," Alfred says. "While I understand your sentiment, your trip is about you and your son, and Miss Spears would only have felt like an outsider if you had brought her along. She needs stability, even if you feel responsible for her."

"We're the only people she knows."

"And unfortunately she will have to get used to meeting people who are strangers to her," Alfred says.

"I need to... to talk to Bruce, too."

"If you would like, you could speak to him right now. He's walked into the kitchen, and is now staring at me like a deer in the headlights."

He's very suddenly on the spot. His  _ I need to talk to Bruce _ was a very,  _ very _ general thing. He didn't mean right then. Maybe in a few days.

But at the same time, he doesn't want to shut him down, either.

"Sure," he says, trying to ensure his voice doesn't crack.

There's a bit of shuffling on the other end, and then Bruce picks up the phone.

"Will?"

"Hi Bruce," he says. It's... well, it's the first time they've actually talked since their conversation on the roof.

"You look like you've been having fun," Bruce says after a moment's pause.

"Did Joey send you the pictures?" He's not all that surprised, but he'd assumed Joey would wait until they were back.

"Jason's just been following social media," Bruce says. "It's not  _ news, _ but a lot of people are very interested in the fact that two people from another dimension are wandering around Disneyland."

"I should have known," Will says with a sigh. "I didn't quite grasp the scape of our popularity."

"I don't think it really matters," Bruce says. "I'd have told you to go anyway. You look..."

"...I look?" Will prompts when Bruce trails off, apparently unable to find the right words.

"Happy," he finally says. "You look happy there with Joey. It's good to see you smile like that."

There's an awkward pause, and Will wonders if Alfred's still there giving Bruce pointed looks.

"...Things are good at home?" Will asks carefully.

"Yeah."

"...Things are good between us?"

He's not entirely clear how it's possible for Bruce  _ not _ to have hard feelings, but he apparently doesn't.

"Things are good between us," Bruce confirms. "I don't blame you for wanting some space. I think it was probably the best thing you could have done, honestly."

"And you?"

"Me?"

"Are you alright?"

Bruce actually chuckles at that.

"I'm just fine," he says. "The first day was a bit rough, but I can manage. I had a nice conversation about everything with my therapist, which was helpful."

The  _ are you going to talk to your therapist _ is unspoken but obvious.

"I should probably do the same," he says after a moment. "Maybe when I get back."

He doesn't want to have to deal with therapy over the phone, and he doesn't want to hold up Joey's schedule.

"Do you know when you'll be back?"

"I'm not sure," Will says. "A few more days. Joey will run out of energy eventually."

"Doubtful," Bruce says with a laugh. "If the pictures are any indication he'll last a few more weeks."

Will laughs a bit at that, sinking back onto the bed as he stares up at the ceiling.

"Bruce...?"

"Yeah?"

His mouth is working faster than his brain. There's no reason for him to say it, but he says it anyway.

"It wasn't just about sex."

"...I know, Will," he says after a pause, and Will cringes at having said it. Stupid. It didn't need to be said, but he said it anyway.

"I should get to sleep," he says. "It was... it was good to talk. Tell everyone I say hi, alright? And if you can, tell Tanya I'll talk to her tomorrow."

He doesn't have the energy for another conversation right then.

"Goodnight Will," Bruce says. "Enjoy the rest of the trip, alright?"

"I will," he says, and hangs up the phone.

He can't help but wonder how the hell a five minute conversation managed to be so tiring.


	20. Chapter 20

With how well things are going, it's almost inevitable that trouble comes knocking. Trouble, however, does not come in the form of aliens crashing into the park. It doesn't come in the form of a phone call that insists they come home.

It comes in the form of a suspiciously large number of bodyguards.

There's a certain kind of person that always flags as being a bodyguard to Will. Some of it is body type—guards tend to be bigger and physically intimidating—but most of it is body language. Any half-trained bodyguard is going to be hyper-vigilant. Any properly trained one will be hyper-vigilante without looking it.

But there's still signs. Still little hints. Will catches sight of a man cutting through the crowd while Joey buys a fried green tomato sandwich, and he spots a second when they settle down to eat. They both have the bodyguard  _ look _ to them, but they're obviously searching for something as they head through the crowd independently.

There's no weapons allowed in the park, so will makes do, pocketing some cutlery for added leverage if the need arises.

"Who's getting stabbed?" Joey asks as they head to the next ride.

"Remains to be seen," Will says. Joey didn't give any sign of noticing the added precautions, but then he's good enough that Will isn't surprised he noticed either. "Just a precaution."

It's difficult to focus too much on the rollercoaster Joey takes him on when he's gone into  _ high alert _ mode, which is no doubt why he catches the couple sitting beside them staring as they wait for the stunt show to start.

Really, it's just the guy staring. The girl seems to be pointedly  _ not _ staring, and her hand's on the guy's as she tries to drag his attention away.

"Just ask," Will says as he slurps his way through a PB&J milkshake.

The guy gawks, shocked he's being spoken to, but to his credit does actually ask.

"Uh," he says as his girlfriend silently begs him not to, "are you... actually Deathstroke?"

"Yep," Will says, making sure to pop the p for added casualness.

"Pop, what are you doing?" Joey asks in his ear, leaning around Will to look at the couple.

Will doesn't answer.

"Anything else?" He says instead, and the guy vigorously shakes his head.  _ Deathstroke  _ is apparently not the kind of celebrity you ask for a signature from.

The show isn't bad (although Will's faked too many murders to not spot every damn technique they use), and they stop for a completely absurd spaghetti and meatballs cupcake on their way across the park.

_ Tower of Terror?  _ Joey signs before digging in.

Will doesn't answer. There's a small pack of bodyguards heading towards them, and he needs to be ready to move. They don't head straight for him, instead fanning out around the area, and it's clear they're establishing a perimeter.

"If you point at someone, I'll grab them," Joey says in his ear, already aware of what's happening.

"Hold," he says instead. There's no need to jump into action. Not until they know what they're dealing with.

But they don't have long to wait. He spots a familiar face heading towards them, flanked by even  _ more _ guards and walking like he owns the place.

Mathew Bland, the Red Lion, simply takes a seat at their table like nothing about that is unusual. Will has no idea if Slade ever worked with him, but it doesn't matter: the public knows they're distinct people.

"Deathstroke," Matthew says, and Will guesses he hasn't worked with Slade before. With Matthew it's always casual nicknames. If he knew Slade, he'd probably be starting with that. Calling him  _ Wilson _ rather than  _ Deathstroke. _

"Bland," Will says, watching the way Matthew's eyebrows twitch down, briefly confused. "I like to be aware of who the players are."

"Good," Matthew says as he settles in, "that means I can dispense with the pleasantries."

"But the pleasantries are so pleasant," Will says casually, and there's another little twitch which confirms that this Matthew has never worked with  _ any _ Deathstroke. If he had, he'd recognize the sense of humor.

Matthew leans forward, and out of the corner of his eye Will sees Joey go stiff.

"I want to hire you," he says. "Now that you're away from that infernal bat, I have a job for you. A good one."

"That's nice," Will says. "I'm retired."

It's clearly not the answer Matthew is after.

"Good money," he says. "For a man such as you—"

"I'm not sure if you've noticed," Will says, "but I'm literally living with half the Justice League. I don't do the mercenary thing anymore."

"I have plenty to off—"

"You really aren't getting it," Will says with a hard look. "The things I want, you can't offer me. I am perfectly happy where I am, and I don't plan on taking the job. You're wasting your time trying to get me to do it, so you might as well go on your way."

Out of the corner of his eye he can see park staff starting to gather. They've noticed what's going on, and the fact that Matthew's men are effectively closing off a part of the park. None of them has stepped forward, and Will's fairly sure they're waiting for someone to give the final word.

"Money," Matthew says. "Power. Influence. Prestige. Safety. Whatever you want, you can have. You just need to become my man."

"No," Will says. He's not even considering it. Joey would abandon him. The Wayne's would shun him. It's not even an option.

"You will—"

"Yeah yeah," Will says, waving his hand dismissively. "I will regret not taking your offer because you can offer me the best of everything, yada yada. I get it. I'm not taking your offer, you're wasting your time, and I figure you're a minute from getting banned from life from every park they own."

Matthew's lip curls, but at the very least he's as smart as Will remembers him being: he doesn't attack. He knows he'll lose.

"Do you think I care what these Americans do?"

"You sure care what  _ I _ do," Will says. "Now you might as well get going."

Matthew gives him one last angry look and then stands, moving away. His guards break formation, assembling around him, and Will watches in amusement as the park staff split into two groups, one heading towards Joey and him while the other keeps a loose perimeter around Brand.

"Wow," Joey says, "I can't believe you got a warlord to come all the way to Disney just to try and recruit you."


	21. Chapter 21

Will is expecting trouble from the park staff considering everything that just happened.

What they get is the opposite of that.

Rather than being summarily booted from the park, they are instead assigned a  _ free VIP guide, _ a fact which Joey seems happy about.

_ They wear plaid vests, _ Joey signs,  _ that's how you can tell who they are. This is how celebrities get past lines. _

"Let me guess," Will says as they wait. "They have to pay?"

_ Oh yeah, _ Joey signs.  _ I'm surprised they're doing it for free, but then they probably don't want to risk trouble over the fact that they just let Bland harass us. _

"They also probably—" Will cuts himself off, spotting a plaid vest heading towards them.

Their guide turns out to be a woman named Mary who, to Joey's intense delight, is fluent in ASL. It's clear she was picked for that one trait, because she seems intensely nervous as she walks them through how it all works.7

Of course,  _ how it all works _ turns out to be some of the most absurd bullshit Will's ever seen.

"We just walk past the lines?" Will asks, baffled by the very idea.

"Not past them," she says, "but you act as if you had a pre-scheduled fast pass. It just shortens them significantly."

"Should have done this from the start," Will mumbles to himself as Joey confers with the guide.

They do the Tower of Terror next, which is nice, and then Joey goes all out in terms of making sure they get to do  _ everything _ he wants. There's a parade and a safari and half a dozen more rides, and while they wait in one line Will makes a point of checking the internet to see how many people have spotted them.

The answer, it turns out, is everyone. There are multiple articles along the lines of  _ Deathstroke in Disney World?, _ and even a few with blurry shots of him talking with Matthew.

His black-and-orange sequined mickey ears (with bow) have apparently sold out, another article informs him. There's a photo with an eye edited onto the right side.

"Wow," Joey says as he leans over his shoulder to peek at Will's phone. "I should have thought of that."

The guide insists on knowing their favorite Disney characters are, which turns out to be a  _ very _ serious question.

_ Ariel, _ Joey signs with a wink, and their guide laughs, seeming to relax a bit.  _ But Lilo and Sitch too! _

The guide turns to look at Will, and Will shrugs.

"I've seen two Disney movies total," he says. "Disney isn't my thing."

_ He likes Hades, _ Joey signs to the guide.

"Why do I like Hades, exactly?"

_ He's a grown man with anger issues and cool powers who is constantly being driven insane by a teenager who thinks he's a hero. _

Will really wants to argue with that, but it does feel  _ very _ relevant.

"...Hades," he says.

_ And Shan Yu, _ Joey signs,  _ but I don't think they'll have anything for him. _

"Shan Yu?"

_ From Mulan, _ Joey signs.  _ Mulan's a lot like Rose, and Shan Yu is the hun leader. When someone builds a wall to stop him he takes it as a personal challenge. _

"...And Shan Yu," Will says. "Could you not pick someone who isn't a villain?"

Joey considers that.

_ Stitch, _ he adds.  _ You'd probably like Lilo and Stitch. _

Will very much doubts that.

The park turns out to be mercifully light on villains, which means the guide spends more time catering to Joey's interest in characters than Will's (supposed) interest. They make a trip back to Epcot (stopping for snacks) before Joey gets to meet someone dressed as Mulan. Will doesn't see the draw of taking photos with someone who's dressed like a character from a movie, but Joey obviously does.

Dinner is more Will's speed, with the guide getting them seats at the chef's table. It gives Will a good view of how the staff are handling things, and he opts to order some things he's more interested in the process behind just to get a chance to watch.

"So," Will says over dinner. "We should probably go home at some point."

As fun as the trip's been, they're on day three and he's starting to get tired. He wants his schedule back. He wants a routine.

_ One more day? _ Joey signs.

"One more day," Will agrees. "But you'd better make sure you get everything."

_ Thank you, _ Joey signs.  _ For everything. For this whole trip. _

"You were the one who came up with it."

_ But you didn't have to come, _ Joey points out.  _ And you didn't have to play along. _

"This was... fun," Will reluctantly admits. "Not all of it, but a lot of it. It was fun being able to just go out and do something with you without having to worry about everything else."

They're watching the night's parade—with a song that's going to be stuck in his head for days—when Will realizes that he needs to call Tanya.

"Crap," Will mutters under his breath, and Joey double takes at him.

_ Pop? _ He signs. The music's loud enough that signing is genuinely easier, so WIll simply signs back.

_ Realized I didn't call Tanya, _ he replies.  _ Meant to do it over lunch, but the thing with Bland distracted me. _

_ Text her, _ Joey signs back.  _ Tell her you'll call when we get back to the room. _

It's a better idea than what he was thinking (namely ignoring it until the morning), so he does just that.

**Will: ** Something came up. I'll call you when I get back to the room.

The response is damn near immediate.

**Tanya: ** Alright. I'll wait for it.

The text makes him second guess himself, and he glances to Joey before simply showing him the screen.

_ Ask her if that's alright, _ he signs.  _ Tell her you can call her in the morning if that's better. _

**Will: ** Would tomorrow morning be better?

**Tanya: ** No, tonight is fine.

Terse. That feels like a red flag to him, but there's nothing more he can really do about it, and he's forced to put the thought aside until later.

He tries not to let it be a cloud over him as they finally leave the park, but it's clear Joey's starting to flag. He leans against Will as they walk, and they part ways with Mary at the entrance.

"I'll actually be back tomorrow," she says. "They try and keep the guides the same day to day, so we know what you have and haven't already done."

_ We'll see you tomorrow then, _ Joey signs, giving her a little wave.

Will isn't looking forward to getting back to the hotel room. Joey crashes almost immediately, simply flopping down on the bed fully clothed, and Will rolls his eyes, nudging Joey with his foot.

"Up," he says. "Go change, and then you can sleep."

Joey huffs at him and rolls out of bed, heading for the bathroom while Will settles in on his own bed, staring at the phone. He's trying not to stress about it, because it's  _ just _ a phone call, but now that he has to do it...

Well, maybe it's harder than it should be. He doesn't even end up dialing until Joey's out of the bathroom, giving him a pointed look as he dials.

"Hello?" Tanya says, and Will lets out a little grunt.

"Evening," he says. "Meant to call you earlier."

_ Don't make excuses, _ Joey signs.  _ Apologize. _

Will shoots him a look, but course corrects anyway.

"Sorry for not calling," he says.

"It's—it isn't an issue," Tanya says. "Is everything going well?"

"It's been fun," he admits, very aware of the fact that Joey's watching. "We're going to do one more day and then come home, so you can expect to see us home around then. Might see if we can make it back to the manor in one go."

Joey makes a face at that.

"Alright," she says. "When you get back, could we... would we be able to talk?"

Oh  _ no. _

"Sure, Tanya," he says. "We can talk when I get back. Whatever you want to talk about."

_ Ask her if everything is alright, _ Joey signs frantically.

"Is everything alright?" Will asks, because he's a lot more willing to trust Joey's instincts on something like this than his own.

"Things are doing better," Tanya admits. Joey scoots right on over, sitting directly beside Will and leaning in to listen. Will shoots him a dirty look, shooing Joey back.

_ Privacy, _ he signs.

_ You could use some coaching, pop. _

_ Privacy, _ will repeats, and Joey rolls his eyes, pulling back.

"Will?"

"Sorry," he says. "Joey was signing something." He missed whatever she just said, which isn't exactly doing great for his credibility. "How are you doing with the family?"

"Damian's nice," she says. "He introduced me to Jon and his brothers, and I've been spending a bit of time over there. It's strange being around Kare—Kara, but she's really nice. And Clark..."

"Clark's pretty much the nicest person possible," Will guesses, and Tanya seems to perk up at that.

"Pretty much. There's a lot of... weirdness. But I'm adjusting. I'm doing better, so you don't have to worry, okay?"

Easier said than done.

"I'll let you get some sleep," Tanya says. "Say hi to Joey for me, okay?"

"Tell everyone else I say hi," Will adds. "Night Tanya."

He relays her message to Joey and then falls back into his bed, yawning.

It's been a long, long day, but there's only one more to go.


	22. Chapter 22

The next day is less breakneck. There's simply less to do, a fact which Mary seems relieved to do. They double up on a few particularly good rides (including one where Joey declares the original ride photo  _ unworkable), _ and try a few new snacks, but a good chunk of the day is spent shopping rather than anything Will would consider fun.

"Christmas next month," Joey points out over the earpiece. "So you should try and think about that."

Crap.

"You know how good I am with presents," Will says. He did Christmas gifts when they were kids. Otherwise, it hasn't exactly been a  _ thing _ with them. He wants to chalk it up to wealth—they all tend to just buy what they want first and ask questions later—but he's willing to admit to himself that it probably has more to do with how dysfunctional they've been as a family.

"Think about it," Joey says. He's got Will carrying a basket, dropping souvenirs in for everyone as he works his way through one of the larger stores. Damian is easy (almost anything in Animal Kingdom would do), and Joey seems to have a good idea of what to get for Jason, but everyone else is a bit of a mystery. There's a selection of cute teas (and a whole tea set) they end up grabbing for Alfred, which really just leaves Bruce and Slade.

He ends up getting a pair of cufflinks for Bruce, at which point Joey shoots him an irritated look.

_ You really have no ideas, do you? _

"None," Will admits. Even if Slade is, in a weird way,  _ him, _ that doesn't mean he has any idea what the guy would want. "If I asked him, he'd probably tell me to give the Ikon suit back."

They end up getting him a Tower of Terror themed robe with matching slippers, which Joey declares  _ good enough. _

Quite a few things end up in the basket for Joey himself, but Will prefers not to get anything. He's not the kind of person who's big on physical objects, and he's perfectly happy with what they have already: quality photos of the two of them.

_ You're sure? _ Joey signs as they head for the checkout.  _ Nothing? _

Will ends up grabbing a small box of fancy chocolates just to get Joey off his back.

There's no strict plans in the afternoon, so Mary suggests they see a show. Will isn't expecting much since it's aimed at kids, but has a good time anyway.

"Anything else?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.

They end up doubling back to Epcot to drink (and eat) their way around the world pavilions again. It's slower paced, and they sample more things as they go. Of all the parks, Epcot is Will's favorite, and he's happy to have a second chance to go around and pick up things he missed.

"I like the variety," he admits as he takes a bite of his school bread. "Normally you don't get to try so many things at once."

_ Should I expect to see you making some of this stuff at home? _ Joey signs.

"We'll see," Will says with a laugh.

Compared to the first few days, the last one is almost leisurely. They coast, visiting a few rides they've missed as they eat their way through the pavilions, and they end up having a nice sit down dinner before calling it a day.

"No fireworks?" Will asks.

_ No fireworks, _ Joey confirms.  _ We can see them from the hotel balcony, and I'd rather beat the rush and get some extra sleep. _

"A fair point," he admits. "So I think that's us done." He glances to Mary, and she grins.

"I'm still on the clock," she admits. "At the very least I'll escort you to the gates to make sure no one bothers you."

She seems perfectly happy to get paid to take a leisurely stroll through the park with them, and ends up taking a few last photos for them, taking advantage of the quieter evenings.

"You've been great," Will says. "Really, can't thank you enough."

"No, you've been great," she says with a wide smile. "It's been a very fun two days showing you two around. Hopefully you'll come back and visit again soon."

Will isn't sure about that, but he does like the idea of bringing everyone along next time, even if that would be  _ far _ more hectic.

_ I'd like that, _ Joey signs, clearly having the same idea.  _ I think they'd all like different parts if we brought them. _

"We'll have to pitch it as a family trip," Will says, cracking a smile. "We'd never get Damian out of Animal Kingdom, though."

Mary does end up seeing them to the gates, waving enthusiastically as they head back to their hotel room.

Will is making sure everything is cleaned up and packed away so they can leave first thing when Joey ambushes him. He raps his knuckles against the wood of the nightstand, drawing Will's attention.

_ Pop? _ He signs as Will tucks his mouse ears safely away in his bag so they don't get ruined.  _ I know it's probably too much to ask after this, but could I ask for one more thing? _

Will feels a flutter of anxiety. Joey doesn't normally ask permission just to ask, which means he really thinks Will isn't going to like it.

"You might as well," Will says, because he's not going to pretend like he's agreeing to anything he hasn't heard the full details for.

_ This world's version of Ma was hoping I'd come visit on our way back. She saw our trip online, and she's on our way back. She said she wanted to talk to me. _

Adeline. Will can't stop himself from feeling conflicted over the very idea of her. She's  _ not _ his ex-wife, but she's probably damned similar. She's still, in a lot of ways, the same woman.

But it feels unfair to demand everyone treat him and Slade as separate people while he treats Adeline the same. It's the sort of thing he'd have been completely fine with before, only now he can't help but be aware of the hypocrisy.

"...Sure," he says. "Short visit. I'm hoping to get all the way back to the manor in one day. That's a sixteen hour drive, and we can't spend too long talking."

_ That's fine, _ Joey signs.  _ Maybe just a half hour. I'll get the address from her, alright? _

"Sure," Will confirms.

A short visit... he's managed short visits with Adeline. He can't imagine this being any worse.

They get to bed early and get up even earlier. They've checked out by six, and they're in the car within ten minutes, starting the long and boring drive back up north.

To his complete lack of surprise, Adeline's relocated to DC, which means the visit is at the tail end of the trip. The majority of the day is spent swapping off who's driving and taking occasional rest stops to keep Joey's legs from completely locking up.

_ The drive down was funner, _ Joey complains during one stop.

"It was slower," he points out. "Less focus on getting from point A to point B."

_ Maybe we should stop at the giant sombrero. _

"That's a no," Will says. "Back in the car with you before you get any other stupid ideas."

They stop only briefly on the trip. Making time is more important, and Will does a fair bit of speeding in an effort to get there a little bit faster.

"Next rest station, we'll swap," Joey says over the earpiece. "I've got directions cued up to Adeline's new place."

He's really, really not looking forward to it, but he's already committed. He can't back out, and Joey's already told her she's coming.

"She does know that  _ I'm _ coming, right?" He asks.

"I told her I was bringing you," Joey confirms.

Thankfully, Adeline's apartment isn't too far off the highway. It's in a nice new building, the kind with a security guard behind a desk and designated parking spots, and Joey pulls neatly into guest parking before climbing out.

_ My legs are killing me, _ Joey signs.  _ Remind me never to do a road trip this long again. Two days minimum. _

Will's legs aren't doing that much better. He feels extra stiff and more than a little bit bored.

He just doesn't think he's going to be bored for that much longer. Not with Adeline being so close.


	23. Chapter 23

The Adeline who meets them at the door is not his ex-wife. She looks older, a bit more withdrawn, and she doesn't even attempt to stab him a single time as she lets them into her apartment. It's compact and obviously freshly moved into. There's a stack of boxes in the corner that haven't been unpacked yet, but there's also some photos that have been hung on the wall. Will pauses in front of one, a shot of her, Slade, and Joseph, and wonders at the similarities.

Almost unmistakable. If he didn't know better, he'd have thought it was a photo of  _ him. _

"I'd love it if you could sign while you talk," Adeline says as she grabs some snacks for them. "I've been taking classes, so I'm brushing up."

"You didn't have to," Joey says through his phone, laid out on the coffee table to facilitate the conversation. He signs his words anyway, and seems happier for the fact that he can do so.

"It's good for work," Adeline says as she settles in on the couch, laying the snacks out on the table beside the phone. "Feel free to take a seat."

She pauses, looking over Will, and it's clear how wary she is.

"This is Will," Joe says. "My pop."

"I guessed," she says. "Even if they said you were brothers, I know better. You look just like he used to... minus the haircut."

She eyes it warily like expecting some kind of trap.

"I picked it out," Joey says. "Pop needed to change his look a bit to be less... similar."

"Less identical," Adeline says. "They'd think you were twins if they saw any old photos."

"Not much difference between us in the early days," Will agrees.

"Pop's regeneration is better," Joey agrees. "As far as we can tell, that's why he looks so much younger."

"Explains a lot," Adeline says.

There's a lull, and Will clears his throat.

"We actually don't have a ton of time to stay and chat," he says. "We're trying to make it back to the manor tonight."

"That's a substantial drive, even if you've already done the bulk of it," Adeline says. "But I get it. You'd rather move on."

No kidding.

She gets up, excusing herself to the office while they wait. Joey eats one of the quiche she made, and Will tries not to let himself get  _ too _ paranoid. She's Adeline, but she's not the one he knew.

She's (probably) not going to come after him with a gun, for one.

She's only been gone a few minutes when she returns with an official looking file under her arm. Will has no idea where the visit's going, but he knows he doesn't like it. The entire situation feels like a trap. Even if this isn't his Adeline—even if this one seems far more mild than the one he knows—she's still Adeline.

"I should start by being clear," Adeline says as she sits back down. She doesn't set the file aside, instead keeping a firm grip on it. "I know it's not you I should be explaining this to. But you're my contact, and you're the one who brought the whole thing up." Her eyes slide over to Will, staring at him just for a moment, and then shift away, back to Joey.

_ This isn't exactly a great start, _ Joey signs, before catching himself and saying it as well. He's clearly nervous, alarmed by the seriousness of the situation.

"Then I'll get to the point," Adeline says, leaning forward to drop the file on the table between them. "Joseph wasn't my first son."

There are only five simple words, and yet the mountain of possibilities they invoke is immense. A second son. No, a  _ first _ son.

A version of Grant in this world.

"What?" Joey says, his eyes wide with alarm, and Adeline continues almost immediately.

"I don't know how different things were in your world. Here, Slade was my second husband. My first husband was... an awful man. We were highschool sweethearts, and he convinced me to get married before he shipped out. I followed him into the military, of course, but every time he returned, the situation got worse. He resented me for having a job, among other things, and it was obvious we weren't going to work out, so I divorced him."

Everything she's said is more or less identical to  _ his _ Adeline's history, which makes him that much more tense. It takes an iron hand of control to keep himself from demanding she get to the point.

"That was when I first met your fa—Slade. We slept together on the rebound, and then he shipped out a few days later. I didn't give him much thought after that. Four months later, well after my divorce was underway, I found out I was pregnant."

Everything snaps into focus, and he understands what happened. Even before she says it, he knows.

"I had no reason to believe the baby was Slade's. I'd slept with my ex-husband dozens of times, including only a few days before I slept with Slade. My ex-husband demanded I get an abortion, but I wasn't willing to do so. Instead, I took time off from my newly started career and carried the baby to term."

The only relief Will feels is that this truth isn't something he has to think about back at home. He didn't sleep with his version of Adeline. He only  _ almost _ slept with her the night they first met. Things might have been different if they had, but they weren't, and he allows himself to relax slightly.

_ Grant? _ Joey signs, not even bothering to say it out loud.

"That was the name the nurse gave him," Adeline confirms. "I gave him up for adoption and went back to work. I never told Slade because as far as I knew it wasn't his business, and he never asked."

"Until Joey mentioned Grant," Will says, and Adeline's jaw clenches for a moment before she nods.

"Grant—this world's one, anyway—looks nothing like Slade. He's got my bone structure. My dark hair. Even now, I can't be sure that he I was wrong about who his father was. The name is... quite a coincidence, but hardly confirmation."

Joey reaches forward, taking the file into his hands, but he doesn't open it. He glances up, his jaw set.

"You found him?"

"After you mentioned him, I looked into it," she confirmed. "At the time I gave him up, it was a closed adoption. The only reason there's anything there is because years ago he reached out to the agency to ask if they had more information."

It's Grant, but it isn't there Grant. The timeline is wrong—this Grant would have to be far older than the one they knew. Assuming Adeline's the same age as Slade (not exactly a safe bet, but he can't imagine the gap is too large), Grant would be in his late thirties.

But it's still  _ a _ Grant, and even if he isn't there, Slade deserves to know.

"We'll tell him," Joey says. "But what about you?"

Adeline pauses and then looks away, staring out the window.

"Joseph was my son," she says. "He was the one I chose. He was the one I raised. The fact that I've had a chance to see what my son would have been like if he'd gotten a chance to grow up is a gift most parents who've lost children would die for. But..." There's a moment's pause. "I chose to give up Grant. I chose to leave his life. I don't have any right to come storming back into his life after that. Slade does, but I don't."

She's cutting herself off. Refusing to interact out of some kind of self-flagellation. It's a punishment, and Will sees it for what it is.

"Bullshit," he says, and her head snaps around, eyes narrowing.

_ Pop, _ Joey signs warningly.

"That's bullshit, and you know it," Will says anyway. This is between him and Adeline, and Joey has no place in it. "If you don't want any kids and you want to go back to work without having to deal with the complications, sure. I'm certainly not going to give you shit for it. But if that's true, then say it. Say  _ I don't want to be in his life. _ But if you actually  _ do _ want to be in his life, and won't let yourself out of some misguided attempt to improve things for  _ him, _ then you can shove your self-defeating bullshit right up your ass, Addie."

She's gawking at him, and she isn't the only one. Joey is too, his mouth hanging open.

"You gave him up so he'd have a better chance at life while you were at an awful point in yours. You made the best choice you had available at the time, and you don't get to beat yourself up for it and claim it's for his sake. If he reached out, that means he wants to meet his parents. He wants to know who the people who made him were. He made that choice, so you don't get to bullshit around and pretend like you're doing this for  _ his _ sake."

"I... agree with pop," Joey says. He looks almost baffled as he does.

Adeline won't look at him, her eyes firmly away.

"You should speak to him first," she says. "Slade should speak to him first."

"And if he wants to meet you," Joey says, "then I'm going to tell you that."

Adeline doesn't respond right away, and Joey hands the file off to Will, turning his attention to Adeline.

Will thumbs through it, but there's only a few pages. There's a picture of Grant right on the top, but just looking at it hurts. He looks so much like the Grant he knows, only... older, and in the end he flips the file shut, unwilling to read it right then.

Maybe later.

Joey's talking softly to Adeline, and Will tries not to listen in. He doesn't need to bother, because when Joey glances back and sees he isn't reading the file, he speaks up.

"We'll let Slade know," he says, signing as he does. "Then, if he wants to meet you, I'll let you know."

Adeline looks downtrodden, her hands clasped in her lap. It's an unfamiliar look to him, one he hasn't seen in years and years, and it makes it a bit easier to say what he needs to as he gets to his feet.

"About a week ago," he says, "we briefly restored contact with our home dimension. One of the things they did while the connection was active was bring Joseph's body over so that Slade could rebury it."

It probably isn't his call to make, telling her the truth, but he's not willing to hide it from her either. She deserves to know, and her head snaps up, eyes narrowing.

"I'm sure we can figure something out so you can visit," he says. Not his call. He's volunteering things he has no say over.

He does it anyway.

"Thank you," Adeline says, her voice quiet. "I... it means a lot."

He knows, and that's the reason he offered.

She sees them off not long after. She doesn't cry, but it feels like she's close, and Will doesn't want to be around for it.

"Bye Adeline," Joey says, making a point of giving her a hug. Will isn't even  _ close _ to that friendly, so he settles for a handshake, the file tucked under his arm.

Will can't help but feel that the whole thing went fairly well.


	24. Chapter 24

They don't leave the parking lot immediately. It's late—just past eleven—and there's decisions to be made. Will flips the light on and hands the file to Joey, leaning back in the driver's seat.

"Tell me what he's like," he says.

"Did you not read it?" Joey asks through the earpiece.

"Don't want to look at it right now," he says. He feels like his reasoning is  _ implied. _

"You probably feel the same way Slade feels every time he looks at me," Joey says, and it feels like someone just put a knife in his side. Joey's right. It's the same feeling: the implications, the  _ what-if _ nature of things. Looking at this world's Grant is like looking at what could have been if he hadn't screwed everything up. If things hadn't gone wrong.

"Just tell me," Will says, and Joey relents.

"He's thirty-six," Joey says. "Adopted at birth. His parents kept the name Grant, but now he has their last name, Clay. He's got a sister, also adopted. He—"

"Address? Phone number?"

Joey flips through the pages.

"Both," he confirms. "Pop, he lives over in Trenton."

Trenton's maybe two hours from Gotham. It would be so, so easy for them to swing by, and he desperately wants to.

"...We need to call Slade."

Joey doesn't argue.

Will leaves the parking lot, starting back towards Gotham, and uses the car to try and dial Slade. Infuriatingly, Slade doesn't pick up the first two times Will calls, and he's about to phone the house just to get someone to chase him down when the phone finally gets picked up.

"Will?" Bruce says, and he has to double check to make sure he's called the right person. "Is everything alright?"

"Things are fine," Will says, which is the truth even if it feels like a lie. Things do not feel fine. "I need to talk to Slade."

"He's in the shower. Is it important?"

"Pull him out of the shower," Will says. "It's important."

There's a pause—he can hear Bruce moving around and the soft sounds of conversation—and then Slade picks up the phone.

"What's going on?"

"You need to sit down for this one," Will says.

"In case you missed it, I was just in the shower. I haven't even dried off."

"Sit down anyway."

There's a pause, and then Slade clears his throat.

"Alright," he says. "I'm ready."

Slade isn't. Will knows he isn't.

"We're on our way home," he says. "We'll get there around one or two. Joey wanted us to visit with Adeline in her new apartment."

"Great," Slade mutters. "Just what I wanted."

Will ignores him and continues anyway. "Slade, we think you have another son."

The noise Slade makes is almost inhuman, low and alarming. It's not a gasp. It's something beyond words.

"Apparently you and Adeline slept together immediately after she divorced her first husband, but before you two got together. She found out she was pregnant months later, and assumed it was her ex-husbands. When he pushed her to abort, she decided to carry him to term and gave him up for adoption. One of the nurses named him Grant."

He expects something from Slade, but instead he gets silence.

"She had no reason to think he was yours. Grant looks more like her, and the odds of him being yours were slim. When Joey mentioned his brother Grant, she realized what must have happened."

For the first time, Slade speaks.

"Is he...?"

"He lives over in Trenton. Adeline gave us a whole file on him of the stuff she pulled up. Apparently he reached out to the agency that placed him to try and find out who his birth parents were."

Slade makes a noise that's barely even a wheeze. Will's struggling to imagine what's going through his head, so he tries to keep Slade on task.

"What do you want us to do?"

"What?"

"We're on our way back," Will says. "But we can easily deviate. Do you want to meet him? Do you want him to call?"

In the background of the call, Will swears he can hear Bruce speaking softly to Slade, but it's too light for him to get any details.

"I—You and Joey can do it."

The wording throws him off, and Will wishes he'd let Joey drive so he could focus more.

"If you want—"

"Will, I can't do it. Not after what happened with Rose. I can't get my hopes up and be let down again. Can you just..."

"We'll handle it," Will says. "I'll call you in the morning, alright? Let you know how things go."

"Thank you," Slade says, his voice quiet. "I'll—just let me know."

Slade hangs up before Will can, and Will lets out a sigh.

"Well that was a mess," Joey says. "But I'm not sure it could have gone any better. No matter what, it was going to be a kick to the gut."

No kidding.

"What now?" Joey asks. "Are we going up there, or...?"

"We're calling him, for one," Will says. "It'll be past midnight by the time we reach the area, and for all we know the number isn't even right."

"Oh," Joey says, his cheeks going red. "I wasn't even thinking about the time."

There's a million and one things to consider. Grant might have a job. The number might be wrong. He could be on vacation. Hell, even the attempt to get more information was years ago: Grant might not even be interested in meeting his biological family anymore.

"...Pop?" Joey asks carefully. "Did you want me to call...?"

"I'll do it," he says, but it's not quite the truth. He doesn't trust himself to make the call while driving, but he doesn't want to stop for however long it takes either. Instead, he takes the next exit, pulling over and gesturing for Joey to switch.

_ You're going to make me drive? _

"Private call," Will says. "It's possible he'll just say no, Joey."

And if he does, that'll be on his shoulders, and his alone. None of the others need to deal with it—they can let themselves be happy with the knowledge that he's okay. That he's happy.

Will settles into the passenger seat and then dials.

Every ring of the phone feels like an eternity. He feels like he's seeing entire stars perish and die in the time it takes for someone to pick up on the other end, and when they do he feels like his heart stops beating entirely.

"Hello?"

It's Grant. Will would know that voice anywhere, even with the differences. His voice is deeper, more mature, but it's still  _ Grant. _

Will knows he's not going to be able to make it through the call as he is. He can't process how his emotions are feeling about it, so instead he handles it the only way he knows how: he stops being Will and starts being Deathstroke again, sliding back into that comfortable old persona.

"Hello," he says. "Is this Grant Clay?"

Out of the corner of his eye he can see Joey trying his best to keep his eyes on the road.

"That's me," Grant says. "Can I ask who's calling?" He sounds a little bit annoyed, which is an  _ extremely _ fair reaction considering it's nearly midnight and he's just been woken up by a call that is, to him, completely random.

"There isn't any gentle way to lead into this without dragging it out," Will says, leaning back a bit more in his chair, "so I'll get directly to the point: I was recently made aware that you'd attempted to reach out to your biological family. I'm a relative of yours and I was hoping to talk to you about them, if you're willing and have some free time."

Grant makes a choked noise on the other end, spluttering.

"My—are you telling me you know who my birth parents are?!"

He sounds... excited. Beyond excited. Grant sounds like he's practically bouncing off the walls, and Will can't remember the last time Grant sounded so happy.

"Yes," he says. He has to stay Deathstroke. He can't be Will right then. "I apologize for calling at such a late hour. We'll be passing through your area soon, and I wanted to know if we should stop and get a hotel to meet you sometime tomorrow or not."

"Could you come right now? My shift isn't until tomorrow afternoon."

The question catches him off guard for a moment, but flipping things around it's easy to see why. Grant's been trying to find answers for years, and now someone's offering him them.

Will glances at the time.

"Sure," he says. "We're about an hour off. Are you still at 421 Birch?"

"You already—I guess you're a private investigator?" Grant guesses.

"Working off the information from one." He doesn't know that for sure, but it's a safe bet considering what they know. "Do you want me to call just before we arrive?"

"No, it's fine—I'll leave the porch light on and wait up."

"I'll see you in an hour then," Will says. "See you soon, Mr. Clay."

Grant says goodbye, and Will hangs up, staring down at the phone.

"Tonight?" Joey says.

"Tonight," Will confirms. "He was—he's excited."

"It makes sense," Joey points out. "Closed adoption means he had no idea who either of his birth parents were. He's probably wondered since the moment he found out he was adopted what the truth was, and now he's going to get it."

Will just hopes he takes it well.


	25. Chapter 25

The address isn't a house, it's a  _ home. _ That much is obvious even as they pull up. There's a minivan parked in the driveway, and a large oak tree in the front yard with a handmade birdhouse attached. It's a fairly small two story house, and while the lights are all off upstairs, the downstairs lights—what looks like a living room—is still on.

As they park, Will can see a figure watching out the window, half-hidden behind the curtains.

"That's him," Joey says, leaning forward slightly. "That's Grant."

He must have a family, considering the size of the house. Will isn't sure he's ready.

"I don't know how Slade managed all this," Will mumbles.

"Well, he started by hugging me without any context," Joey says. "So maybe try not to do that."

Will can't make any promises.

They get out of the car, locking it behind them as they head up the drive. The mailbox says  _ Clay,  _ and there's a little autumntime wreath on the front door. Will hesitates at the door, glancing back at Joey to make sure everything is ready.

"You alright?"

_ I could ask the same of you, _ Joey signs.  _ You going to be okay? _

"No," Will says, and then knocks anyway.

It's clear Grant's been waiting on the other side, because the door jerks open before Will's hand is even off the door. He looks ecstatic, a wide smile on his face, and then he registers who he's looking at, his face falling immediately.

"Oh," he says, and it's a punch to the gut. The enthusiasm is gone. He looks upset, and after a second glances away before stepping aside.

"Come in," he says, and Will has no goddamn idea what to make of it. He doesn't  _ understand. _ He can't imagine what could explain the sudden change in demeanor, but he steps inside anyway.

The house is quiet, but shows clear signs of activity anyway. To the immediate left is a living room, where Grant directs them, and Will takes a moment just to take it all in as he removes his shoes. Grant looks older than he was expecting, even knowing his age. His brown hair is kept neat and fairly short, and he's broad across the shoulders. He's got a light dusting of a beard on his face, and a small scar through one eyebrow. He's wearing a sweater that looks comfortable and a pair of jeans, and Will doubts he'd have given him even a second glance if he'd passed him without being told who he was.

He looks  _ normal. _ The house looks  _ normal. _ He should be excited, only he's still too thrown off by how upset Grant seems.

"I know I said I had all night," Grant says, "but I'd prefer if we kept things quiet and got them over with quickly."

Joey looks distressed, and Will shifts himself a bit, putting himself between the two of them. Things feel like they're going wrong. Grant was so excited, and  _ he _ was excited, and now everything feels like a mistake.

But it's still Grant, he reminds himself. This is still Slade's son. Not his Grant, but  _ a  _ Grant, and he should be happy for that.

"...Alright," Will says, and Will goes away. This needs Deathstroke again. Will isn't going to be able to take it, even if he had hoped he could manage. "I understand that you were adopted."

"She's not my biological sister, if that's what you're coming to ask about," Grant says, folding his arms over his chest.

"...What?"

No amount of Deathstroke is helping him make any sense of the situation.

"I think there's been a misunderstanding," Will adds. Something's wrong in the situation, and he's not sure which side the blame can be found on.

"There was," Grant agrees. "Lilith doesn't live here, and we're not bio siblings. I don't have any of her powers, so you're wasting your time coming around."

What?

"Lilith Clay," Joey says over Will's earpiece. "That's Omen. She was part of the original Titans."

Omen. Will's met her, and that rather suddenly explains the reaction. Grant's recognized them as being connected to the Justice League and assumed that it's a recruitment call: that they've come for his sister (and him, if he has powers) to talk to her about the League.

"No," Will blurts out. "We're not here about your sister."

Grant's face scrunches up.

"I told you I don't have any powers."

"We're not here to recruit you, Grant," Will says. "We're here to talk to you about your birth parents."

Grant clearly can't figure out how to react. His expression keeps changing, bouncing between confusion and growing excitement as the truth dawns on him.

"Wait, this—this is  _ actually _ about my birth parents? This isn't a... a League thing?"

And then, like a snap of his fingers, he's settled on alarmed.

"Wait, please don't tell me I'm from another dimension."

Will reaches up, pinching the bridge of his nose. Oh, it's Grant alright.

"You're not. Maybe we should sit down so we can talk?"

Grant glances between the two of them, and then sits down on one of the two couches in the living room. Will and Joey sink down onto the other one, with Joey looking more nervous by the second.

Alright. Deathstroke. Or maybe something in between, something half Deathstroke and half Will. He needs more tact than Deathstroke usually needs.

"I understand you were looking into your birth parents," Will says, which is very much an excuse to get Grant to explain himself. He does, excitement obviously growing.

"My parents never made any secret that we were adopted," he explains. "For a long time I basically refused to look into it because I felt like that would be disrespectful to them. But I had a health scare a few years back, and my wife encouraged me to look into it, even if I had mixed feelings at the time. I thought, if nothing else, it would be good to know my family history, right?"

Family history. He's going to get a  _ lot _ more than that.

"So I reached out to the agency," he continues, "but it was mostly a dead end. They said they'd pass the information on if one of my birth parents reached out to them first, and otherwise there was nothing they could do. We hired a private investigator, but they couldn't get anything other than the area I was born in, and that was a dead end too. I actually ended up joining a forum for other adoptees in the area, swapping stories and all that, but never got anything even close to a lead. Honestly, I'd pretty much given up on every getting any answers."

And now he's hoping that he's going to get them. He's looking at the two of them expectantly. He looks younger than he did, the hope in his eyes seeming to shave a few years off.

"I think you already know me," Will says, which is a damned safe bet. "I'm Will. This is Joey. He's—"

"Mute, right?" Grant guesses, his eyes sweeping over Joey. "Sorry, I don't actually know any sign language."

Joey pulls out his phone, leaning forward to set his phone down, the screen lighting up.

"That's fine," Joey says through the phone, and Grant jumps. "I've got ways to communicate."

"Wow," Grant says. "That's handy." He's gawking a little bit at the phone, and it strikes Will again how  _ normal _ he is. He's a normal person. He's got a normal life. He's not a kid who idolized Deathstroke. He's not someone who had to deal with his father being a monster and making his life hell.

"So..." Grant says expectantly, and Will realizes he's left him hanging.

He needs to explain. He needs to tell him.

"Your birth mother was in the process of getting a divorce when you were conceived," he starts. That's probably the best place: to just explain to Grant not just who he is, but why he was given up for adoption. "She wasn't in a position where she could raise a child, and her ex-husband pushed her to abort. She chose to carry you to term instead, and hoped you'd find a good home instead. She lives in another state, but chose not to contact you so far because she believes she doesn't have any right to be in your life after giving you p.

"No!" Grant blurts. "No—there's nothing—I mean, I don't think she made the wrong decision. If she wasn't in a place where she could raise a kid, better to have given me up like she did. She made the right choice. My parents are... I mean, they're the nicest people you can imagine, but that doesn't mean I'd turn down a chance to meet her."

"We told her as much," Will says with a look at Joey, "and we'll be making it clear to her when we follow up with her."

"Sorry, I'm still a bit confused. How are you... uh, connected to this?" Grant asks, glancing between them. It's clear he thinks they've said everything they needed to, and that the explanation is done.

"Your birth mother was mistaken," Will says, and Grant goes stiff. "Your birth father wasn't her ex-husband, but the man she had a brief one night stand with around the same time. She had no reason to believe he was the father, and didn't share with him that she'd given a child up for adoption. We only discovered the mistake—and realistically it's something that should probably be tested—when the two of us came through."

"...What?" Grant asks. He looks confused, so Will simplifies.

"Your biological mother is Adeline Kane. Your biological father is Slade Wilson-Wayne."

Grant's expression is the human equivalent of a computer throwing up a blue screen. His eyes go almost comically wide, his mouth still frozen in the same hopeful grin he had earlier. It takes him several seconds to manage a confused laugh, staring at the two of them as if waiting for them to announce that he's being pranked.

"...Are you being serious?"

"We're serious," Joey confirms.

"I'm—" Grant very clearly  _ cannot _ process what he's just been told. "My bio dad is... the Gotham Knight? What?"

"Yes," Will confirms. "You had one full brother who unfortunately passed away years ago. Your stepfather would be Bruce Wayne-Wilson, and Jason and Damian would be your siblings."

Grant's gawking. He clearly doesn't know how to handle it. Will can only imagine that it doesn't feel real to him, and Will sucks in a deep breath, trying to center himself.

"We found out about you because Joey mentioned your counterpart from our universe to your birth mother. That helped her realize that she'd made a mistake."

Grant sinks back in his seat, staring into space.

"Wow. I—sorry, I'm not entirely sure how to even... how do I take this? How do I—I feel like every kid given up for adoption wonders who their birth parents were and why they were given up, and... I mean, when I was a  _ kid _ I—wow."

He falls silent, and Will exchanges a quick glance with Joey.

"We know this is a pretty big shock for you," Joey says. "It was for Slade too. When we told him earlier today, it was the first time he'd found out you existed. Obviously you're a grown up and you've got parents of your own, but he'd still love to be in contact with you, if you're okay with that."

"I— I mean,  _ yeah,"  _ Grant says. "He's... Sorry, just give me a second."

He stops, and Will realizes that he's trying to pull himself together to stop himself from crying. It's overwhelming for him, and Will feels his stomach twist. Grant stands, waving them off, and swears he'll be back in a minute as he heads towards what Will assumes is a bathroom.

Will's relieved, because he needs the break as much as Grant obviously does.


	26. Chapter 26

Joey reaches over, taking Will's hand and giving it a small squeeze.

"You doing alright?" He asks through the phone, and Will lets out a sigh, nodding.

"Better than I thought," he admits. It still hurts every time he so much as glances at Grant, but it's bearable. He can manage.

Joey reaches up, wrapping his arms around Will's shoulders and pulling him down into a hug, and Will grumbles, letting him do it. It's not exactly  _ dignified, _ but it's not as if anyone's going to see anyway.

_ You're doing really well, _ Joey signs when he finally breaks the hug.

"Pretty sure I'm supposed to be the one telling you that I'm—"

The front door opens, and both of them whip around to see a woman step inside. She's got short, wavy red hair, pale skin, and an extremely confused smile on her face, and her expression only gets more confuse as she registers two familiar strangers in her living room, and a distinct lack of Grant.

"He's in the bathroom," Joey says, which only seems to confuse her more.

"I... alright?" She says, glancing down the hallway the way Grant went. "You're—he said he had people coming over who would have information about his birth parents...?"

"That's us," Will confirms. "You're his wife?"

Safe bet. He's already mentioned being married, and the whole house is practically  _ screaming _ that children live there.

"That's me," she says, eyes flicking between the two of them before stepping forward, offering her hand. She's dressed in a business suit and looks like she's only just got back from work despite the  _ extremely _ late hour, and Will automatically stands, giving her hand a Shake.

"William Wilson," he says. "Will his fine."

"This might shock you," she says, looking amused, "but I'm aware."

"I'm Joey. Don't mind the phone," Joey says, and his wife looks amused by that too.

"Kole Clay," she says. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go check on him."

"Probably a good idea," Will says. "It's been a few minutes."

She excuses herself, and they've only been waiting maybe thirty seconds when Joey elbows him in the side to draw his attention.

_ Top of the stairs, _ Joey signs.  _ Be discrete. _

Will glances towards the stairs to find a face peeking out at him. She's young—maybe ten, if that—and obviously spying on the two of them. Even from a distance, he can see her parents in her features: Grant's hair, but her mother's nose.

She's clearly sneaking a peek at them, and after a moment Joey can't help himself, giving her a wave. The girl makes a little  _ eep _ and goes back to hiding, which is right around the time Will hears the door open down the hall.

"They're on their way back," he says.

Kole and Grant return, and Grant looks like he's just finished splashing quite a bit of water on his face. He does seem to have pulled himself together though, and looks awfully embarrassed.

"Sorry about that," he says. "I just needed to... pull myself together."

"Grant filled me in," Kole says. "...The basics, anyway. So his birth father is... the Gotham Knight?"

Between words, Will can hear movement upstairs. Two sets of feet and soft whispers sneaking towards the top of the stairs to listen in. 

"That's right," he says.

"And you're related to him... how?"

Oh boy.

"You'd probably need a chart to explain that," Joey says with a small laugh. "Will is my father. We're both from the other dimension, and that universe's Grant was my brother."

"So there's another me?" Grant asks, looking baffled.

Will winces and glances away.

"Was," Joey corrects. "He passed away, unfortunately."

In Will's mind, the moment replays. Grant dying in his arms. Grant calling for his  _ dad, _ no longer aware of what was happening around him.

Will can't stop himself from hugging the Grant that's right  _ there. _ He knows he shouldn't—personal space and all that—but there's no stopping him.

Grant is rigid under him, not returning the hug, but Will doesn't care. Grant's there. He's there and he's  _ happy. _ He has kids of his own. He has a wife. He's  _ alive. _

Will can't help but wonder if it's all because he was never a part of Grant's life. If his success is  _ because _ he wasn't raised by him.

"Pop," Joey says, tugging at the back of his shirt, and Will breaks the hug. Grant looks unbelievably awkward, and Will looks away, drawing back. Joey guides him away, giving him a bit of space, and Will takes a moment to try and relax.

He can't seem to bring Deathstroke back. He should be able to slip it on like a second skin, but he can't quite get in the right mindset. He can't compartmentalize the way he used to.

"Sorry," he mumbles.

"It's fine," Grant says. "Really. It just—uh, caught me a bit off guard. I guess it's like... meeting who your kid could have been...?"

"Pretty much exactly that," Joey confirms.

"This is... I mean, wow," Grant says. "I don't think I've really wrapped my head around it."

"It's also pretty late," Kole says lightly. "Maybe we should put a pin in things for tonight?"

"But I've got a lot of questions—" Grant starts, before getting a pointed look from his wife. "Right. Morning. You said you were in the area...?"

"We'll grab a hotel," Will says. "I think Slade will want to drive up in the morning." He's betting Bruce will too, but he's hoping the whole family isn't going to dogpile in.

"It was very nice to meet you," Kole says, and pats Grant on the shoulder, nudging him towards the door.

"Why don't we do lunch?" Will says. The house feels less like neutral ground, and the house isn't going to be large enough for  _ everyone _ if they insist on coming.

"Lunch would be great," Kole says quickly, nudging her husband. "The kids have school, but both of us are free."

"Lunch, then," Will confirms. "I'll call you when we know where."

The two of them get walked to the door, and Will debates pointing out the spying kids before deciding against it. Instead, they say polite goodbyes—handshakes rather than hugs—and make a quick return to the car.

"Hotel," he mumbles. "Just pick... whichever one looks half decent. I need to..." Ugh. He needs to let Slade and Bruce know what's going on. There's suddenly a lot to do, and it is far, _ far _ too late.

Joey leans over, resting his head against Will's shoulder, and Will lets out a contented sigh.

"He's happy," he says quietly. "He's safe and he's happy, and that's all that matters."


	27. Chapter 27

By the time they make it to the hotel, Will is all but ready to drop. He's done a lot of long distance road trips before without issue, but multiple days at Disney followed by more than eighteen hours of driving followed by being shoved through an emotional wringer is not agreeing with him. He wants to sleep. He wants... well, he wants a lot of things, but he has priorities.

The check-in process takes too damn long, so he leaves Joey too it while he calls Slade. He gives him the utter basics—lunch tomorrow, nice guy, etcetera, etcetera—and then tells him he needs to sleep.

The bed is like a rock, but it's a place to lie down and that's really all Will needs.

He actually sleeps in for once, and when he wakes it's because Joey's wandering around the room doing something or another and making too much noise. From how much noise he's making, Will's fairly sure that waking him up was the  _ point, _ but that doesn't stop him from groaning and rolling over, pulling the pillow around his head.

Joey nudges him and then slides the earpiece into Will's hand, and Will sighs, pushing it into his ear before rolling back onto his back.

"You slept in, pop," Joey says with a grin.

"I got that," Will mutters, sitting up. He needs to shower. He needs to get dressed.

They make smalltalk as they work through the morning routine, and Will realizes how desperately he's started to miss the manor. He's missed making breakfast. He's missed seeing people. He feels deeply disconnected from what's happening, and completely out of touch in a way he isn't used to.

"Bruce says he has a place for us to eat," Joey says as they help themselves to the hotel's continental breakfast. "It's just him and Slade coming up for now."

Probably for the better. Too many risks being overwhelming.

The morning is slow, and spent sprawled out on the hotel bed watching the news. Joey ends up settling in beside him, and despite teasing Will about sleeping in, he ends up dozing off beside him.

Will pulls a blanket around him and lets him sleep.

It's close to eleven when someone knocks at the door, and Joey jerks awake. Will gets it himself, letting Joey wakes up, and isn't surprised to find Bruce and Slade waiting outside. He didn't give them the hotel room number, but he's sure Joey's been communicating with them on the side.

"Room's not very good," Will says, stepping out of the way so they can come in. "But it's temporary."

There's a bit of awkwardness, but Will was expecting as much. It's the first time he's seen them since he broke up with Bruce, and things aren't quite the same as they were. But after a moment, it comes easier, the hard feelings not quite pushed aside, but certainly  _ handled. _ They matter less, now.

"You're coming home with us, right?" Bruce asks. "I told Tanya as much when we left."

_ That's the plan, _ Joey signs.  _ If I'm gone any longer, Jason's going to come after me. _

"He's missed you," Slade says with a laugh. "And I think he was a little bit jealous of all the fun you were having."

_ You should see some of the photos, _ Joey signs.

"I'm sure you'll show us."

The couch in the room sags dangerously under just Slade's weight, so they end up sitting on the edge of the bed instead, facing each other to talk. They run through what they covered the night before, and Will passes over the file so Slade can see a picture (even if it's a bit old) and know what to expect.

"He's married," Slade says quietly. "He's got kids of his own. A family..."

Bruce rubs at Slade's back as he looks over the file himself, and Will just lets them do it. He doesn't speak until Slade flips the file closed, letting out a sigh.

"I don't know how you did it," Will mutters. "How did you not just... steal Joey away?"

"Well, because he came with me willingly, for one," Slade says with a snort. "Sure as hell made that part a lot easier."

_ You just have to remember he's not our Grant, _ Joey signs.  _ He's a different person. An adult. _

Easier said than done. It's hard to remember that when looking at him. It's hard to remember that when his brain keeps asking him  _ is this what your son would be if you hadn't decided to wreck his life? _

"His wife's nice," he says instead of vocalizing it. "Didn't get to meet the kids. His little girl was peeking at us though."

Joey leans against him a bit more heavily, and Will wraps an arm around him, pulling him closer.

_ Do you want to stay here and just let them go? _ Joey offers, and Will shakes his head. Even if it hurts, he still wants to see him. He can't stand the thought of being left out, of not knowing what's happening.

Of course, as things are with Bruce, it's never just as easy as going for lunch. When they arrive at the restaurant he's found for them to eat at, he finds a sign that says 'closed for private party' on the door.

"...Is this us?" Will asks, well aware of the answer.

"That's us," Bruce says. "Did you give them the address?"

"They knew the place," Will confirms. "He texted to say he'd hit traffic and would be a bit late."

Bruce herds them inside rather than waiting in the parking lot. The restaurant is not a  _ fancy restaurant. _ It's the kind of place that does tex-mex and is normally filled with families. The staff seem unprepared for dealing with something like this, and the manager seems over the moon.

"Should be a couple coming," Slade says to the manager as they head inside. "You can just send them over."

They're sat at a large circular table, and the servers—they have two—grab them drinks.

Will can see the nervous energy radiating off Slade in waves. He's desperate for it to happen, torn between wanting it over with and wanting it to never stop. Will can tell because that was  _ him, _ and now seeing it be someone else makes it so obvious.

He reaches out, touching Slade's forearm, and he stills.

"He's just as excited to meet you," he says quietly, and Slade seems to sag in his seat.

"Does he—"

"He knows you didn't know about him," Will confirms.

Grant isn't even a full five minutes late. Will's head swings around at the sound of the door opening, and everyone else follows suit almost immediately. He's got Kole with him, but it's just the two of them, and he looks almost painfully nervous as he pulls off his coat.

Slade looks like he can't decide if he wants to stand or not, but Bruce nudges his elbow and he springs to his feet. Watching the interaction from the outside feels almost painfully awkward. Slade obviously wants to hug Grant, only he doesn't want to make Grant uncomfortable, but it's just as obvious to Will that Grant is expecting a hug he doesn't get.

Instead, he gets a handshake.

"I'm Grant," he says, looking as awkward as Slade. "This is my wife, Kole."

"I'm—" Slade actually pauses, clearly trying to figure out what he wants to say. "I'm Slade. This is my husband, Bruce. You've already met Will and Joey...?"

"We met," Will confirms. "Why don't you grab a seat, get some drinks?"

At the very least that'll put an end to the awkward are-we-hugging-or-not going on, and both Kole and Grant grab seats at the table, a member of the staff swooping in to take drink orders at an almost impressive speed.

"Will and Joey already explained...?" Slade asks, glancing towards them.

"We told them how this all happened," Joey explains. He's left his phone on the center of the table, letting him speak to everyone rather than leaving Grant and Kole out of the conversation. "We're past that point."

"Honestly, I'm not really sure where to start," Grant admits. "This barely feels real."

"After everything weird this family has gone through, this is almost par for the course," Bruce says. "We are... ah, a bit of a mess might be the best way to say it."

"I mean, I know  _ about _ you," Grant admits, "but that's a pretty different thing from actually meeting you, let alone realizing... all this."

"Why don't we just start from the basics?" Bruce says. "Getting to know each other."

"Makes sense," Kole admits. "We weren't sure how much you knew...?"

"Relatively little," Slade says. "I think Will and Joey had a bit more information, but I only heard the basics. You have work later tonight of some kind, you have a sister, and you're married with kids?"

"That's about it," Bruce says.

Grant makes an undeniably awkward laugh.

"Sort of expected to get the Batman treatment, honestly."

"Felt like it would be an invasion of privacy," Bruce clarifies, "and I know Slade would prefer to hear it from you."

"Well," Grant says carefully, "I was adopted basically as a baby. So was my younger sister, Lilith. My parents are great, and—actually, is it an issue I told them about this?" He looks suddenly distressed by the idea, while Kole rolls her eyes beside him.

"It's not an issue," Slade says. "Tell who you like. It'll only be as public as you're comfortable with. Obviously we have more exposure than you're used to, but we're pretty good at keeping things quiet as needed."

"That's an understatement right there," Kole says with a chuckle.

"How'd you two meet?" Bruce asks her, obviously hoping to pull her into the conversation.

"In college," she says. "I found Grant asleep in his textbook in the library and woke him up. We started talking after that, and ended up dating by the end of the week."

"What did you study?"

"I went for accounting," Kole says. "I do forensic accounting."

Bruce perks up immediately. "Any specialization?"

"Anti-money-laundering," she says. "It's a pretty specific field, to say the least."

"Makes for odd hours," Grant confirms. "It's a nine-to-five except when it's not because she needs to be in the office to be available for a meeting that's at 10AM in Dubai."

"You're one to talk," Kole says, elbowing his side. "Go on, tell them. They probably have no idea."

Grant looks embarrassed to talk about his job, his cheeks going red. 

"I, uh, went for nursing," Grant admits. "Originally I was going to be a social worker, but I didn't really like it when I started my degree, so I swapped. Doctor seemed a bit out of reach, so nursing was a nice compromise."

A nurse. Grant is a nurse.

In his own world,  _ his _ Grant aspired to kill people for a living.  _ This _ Grant saves people's lives.

"Excuse me," Will says. "I just need some air."

He leaves the table behind, heading outside as fast as his legs will carry him. He can't handle it. He can't deal with Grant just  _ being there, _ but not being his Grant.

He just needs space.


	28. Chapter 28

Will isn't surprised when Joey joins him out back. It's not as if the restaurant has a porch he can sit on, so instead he sits in the driver's seat of the car they drove, tilting it all the way back until he's staring up through the sunroof.

Joey pops open the passenger side door, climbing in before mirroring Will's position so they're both lying on their backs.

Joey reaches out, pressing the earpiece into Will's hand, and Will sorely considers just not putting it in for a moment before relenting.

He can't close Joey out like that, so he pops it into his ear.

"It's hard seeing him," Joey says. "So it's not just you."

"I don't know how the hell Slade did it," Will mutters. At least with the earpiece he doesn't need to keep his eyes open, letting them drift closed. "How he  _ does _ it."

"It just takes time," Joey says. "It was the same way with him before you came. It was hard to separate the two of you in my head. It just took time for me to be able to draw a line between the two of you. To accept that you two are completely unique people. It'll be the same way with Grant. At first all you'll be able to see is our Grant, but eventually, if you tell yourself it enough, you'll realize he's a different person."

There's more to it than that. There's more to it than just  _ they're different people. _ Because he's not just different: he's happier. He's doing a job he obviously loves helping people, he's married, he's got kids...

He's  _ better. _

This Grant wasn't ruined by his father.

"Pop," Joey says, "don't get lost in your own head, alright?"

Too late.

"Joey, the Grant we knew idolized a mass-murderer and died for it," Will says. His voice doesn't even sound like his own anymore. "I used to beat him and I ruined his life. He never got to go to college. He never got to have a job. He never got to be married, or have kids—"

"Pop," Joey interrupts. "Would you do it again?"

The question catches Will off guard, and he glances back to Joey.

"What?"

"Would you still do it the same way, if you went back? Would you treat him the same way?"

It's such an obvious answer, and yet it throws him off anyway. How could Joey think the answer was anything else?

"No."

"Then stop beating yourself up for it." Joey reaches up, taking Will's hand in his own and giving it a squeeze. "You're a different person now. Slade Wilson made those decisions. Slade Wilson made those mistakes. But the person you are now is different from him. When you make a mistake, you have to recognize it, correct your behavior for the future, and then move on. You can't let yourself hold on to the mistakes you made. You have to let go."

Will doesn't know if he can. He doesn't know if he's really changed. He's not in those same situations. He's not standing at those same points.

Who's to say he wouldn't make the same mistakes?

"If I can forgive myself for what happened with Dave," Joey says, giving his hand another squeeze, "you can forgive yourself too."

Will doesn't know if he can. Joey's mistakes was  _ one _ mistake. Slade's wasn't even a mistake: it was a constant thing. It was who he  _ was. _

Joey seems to guess at his thoughts, because he leans over, wrapping his arms around Will's shoulders and pulling him closer.

"The person you were then isn't the same person you are now, and you can't blame the person you are now for what the person you were then did. This world is a fresh start for both of us. You just have to let it be true."

"You deserve a fresh start," Will mutters. "I don't."

That's the difference. Joey's a good person who made a mistake. Will's a bad person who has made more mistakes than there are stars in the sky.

"Everyone deserves a fresh start, pop." He squeezes his hand again, and Will leans closer.

He doesn't know how Joey can forgive him after everything that's happened.

"You've already made it clear how much you regret it," Joey says. "Hating yourself for the things you've done doesn't help anyone. So... let Will be a new person. Don't hate Will for the things Slade Wilson did."

A new person. Maybe that's the answer. Maybe that's what he needs. For Will to just be someone  _ new, _ someone who didn't make the same mistakes.

But he needs that one last blessing.

"Do I deserve it?"

Joey wraps his arms around Will's shoulders, pulling him in closer. It's awkward to lean over the center console like that, but it's worth it.

"You do."

That's all Will needs, and he takes a deep breath, pulling back.

"Alright," he says. "I'll try and... see it as a fresh start."

"Good," Joey says, and he gives him a little smile. "Now let's get back in there, I don't want to miss out."

They join the group without complaint. No one comments on their absence or draws any attention to it.

It's easier to look at Grant after the talk. Easier to slip into the conversation and pick up on what they missed. Grant and Kole have two kids. Christopher is fourteen and having some trouble at school, and Anne, who's eight and spends every waking moment begging for a cat. They talk about their choice to move across state lines, about choosing an area with better schools for their kids.

They ask questions, too.

They want to know more about the family, about how they're all connected. About how they live, and how they all met. Food comes out—either Bruce or Slade has ordered for the two of them—and the conversation turns to the future.

"Why don't you come for Thanksgiving?" Will says, and Bruce and Slade seem surprised. Joey, on the other hand, does not: like he was expecting that exact offer to be made.

"Assuming you don't already have plans," Slade says quickly. "You probably already have something planned with your family."

"They can come too," Will says simply. "I'm sure Slade would love to have you."

Slade looks mortified.

"That seems like a lot of people," Kole says. "Is there really going to be enough..." She trails off, apparently realizing who she's talking to.

"I'm doing all the cooking," Will says, "four more mouths isn't many in the grand scheme of things."

He makes a point of making sure the kids are invited.

"My parents live over in Arizona," Grant admits, "but we normally have my sister out—"

"If she's comfortable, invitation stands to her too. We're used to big gatherings."

It's a hell of an understatement.

Grant says he'll have to check in and that he'll get back to them, and the conversation turns to other things. There's food to be eaten, and things to discuss. Most of the conversation is light, even playful, and it's easy to see everyone slowly relaxing as time moves on.

"I have to confess," Grant says, "the kids are both Superman kids."

"...Superman kids?" Will asks, confused.

"Everyone has a favorite member of the Justice League these days," Kole says with a laugh. "People on the west coast tend to like Arsenal, for example."

"And your kids like Superman," Bruce says, looking amused.

"They like Superman because Grant likes superman," Kole says, and Grant goes pink.

"I just think it's nice he spends his time helping people," Grant mumbles.

"He's a nice guy," Slade confirms. "I guess you were probably already an adult by the time Batman was really a  _ thing." _

"I honestly used to dislike Batman," Grant admits with a wince. "I thought if he had all that money—because he obviously did—that he should be more like Bruce Wayne and spend it supporting good causes around Gotham."

Slade tips his head back and laughs at that.

"It's not like I knew he was the same person!" Grant protests.

"You're not the only one who had the same thought," Bruce says with a devilish little smile. "Arsenal's mentor wouldn't join the League in the first place in part because he hated that Bruce Wayne was 'paying some working class sucker to get shot on his behalf'."

"Did he really?" Will asks. It's the first he's heard of it.

"Yep," Slade confirms. "Bruce went into a work meeting with him and then scared the shit out of him with the Batman voice."

"Wait, the Batman voice is  _ real?"  _ Kole asks. "I always assumed it was an exaggeration."

Bruce clears his throat, dropping down into a tone of voice that Will is deeply familiar with.

"It's real," Bruce says, before coughing and taking a big drink of water. "Hurts my throat to do it these days though."

The food's all but finished, but the conversation's nice, and Will's pretty sure the manager would  _ love _ for them to stay all damn day.

But there's the sound of sirens going by nearby. One isn't a big deal.

Two? Three?

Will and Slade are clearly thinking the same thing. Hell, Will isn't even sure anyone else can hear the sirens, but he sure can.

"Something's going on nearby," he says. "I think I'm going to go investigate."

"We can all go," Bruce says. When he catches Kole's alarmed look, he winces, looking embarrassed. 

"Family habit," he admits.

"I guessed," Grant says, but he stands anyway, moving to go with them. "It is our town—we should go see what's going on. Let me just grab the manager and get the bill."

"Please," Bruce says, sounding exasperated. "You're out guests. It's already taken care of."

Grant huffs a little bit at that.

"We'll get the next one."

Will knows he's going to do no such thing, but Bruce lets him believe that's ever going to happen. 


	29. Chapter 29

The  _ something going on nearby _ turns out to be a fire. It's not far from the restaurant—only two streets down—but from the moment they leave it's obvious that's what it is. The smoke's thick and black, spiraling upwards as they head towards it.

"Do you investigate everything like this...?" Kole asks as they walk.

"When we're nearby," Bruce admits. "Old habits die hard."

_ I should have grabbed my suit, _ Joey signs.

"For a fire? Shouldn't need it," Slade says. 

It's a house that's on fire, a little one story that's clearly a write off. The whole roof's caught, and there's no less than three engines on scene. They don't even appear to be trying to put the house out, instead focusing on dousing the sides of those on either side of it to keep it from spreading.

But it's not the house that makes Will wince.

"Dog," he says. He doubts anyone can hear it over the sound of the fire, but there's absolutely a dog barking from somewhere inside.

"Can only half hear it," Slade admits.

"There's a dog inside?" Kole asks, looking distressed. "That poor thing..."

Will can't help but imagine what Damian's reaction would be. Probably to kick the door in and save it.

"Should we check everyone's out?" Bruce asks.

_ Stay with your guests, _ Joey signs.  _ Pop and I can check in with police. _

There's a perimeter established, with a number of officers keeping the small crowd back. Will can see the people who live in the house—looks like a couple fresh out of college—talking with one of the firefighters. They've both been crying, and he can't blame them.

"Hey," Will calls. "Everyone get out?"

"We're not answering—" The cop starts, before double taking at who he's talking to. He glances over his shoulder, then holds up a finger. "Just a second."

_ Handy, _ Joey signs at him with a grin.  _ Seems like our reputation proceeds us. _

Another officer—not anyone  _ in charge _ but at least some kind of senior compared to the kid Will spoke too—drifts over.

"Not sure what you're doing here, but yeah. Two occupants, both got out. Fire started on the ground floor."

"The dog?"

The officer double takes, and his voice drops.

"Down in the basement," he says. "We made an attempt to get it out, but the only access is a door that's already started to warp from the heat. Can't force it open as things stand, and the fire department isn't going to risk sending more people in."

"How far's the door you need opened?"

_ Pop, _ Joey signs.  _ Are you really thinking what I think you're thinking? _

"It's a normal door, Joey," Will says. "I've taken safe doors off their hinges."

_ No risks, alright? _

"Wait, what are we talking about here?" The officer says, glancing between the two of them, obviously clueless about what Joey's been signing.

"How far in is the door?"

"Pretty much right inside," he says. "But the smoke's thick."

"I can hold my breath for thirty minutes without any sort of preparation. I'll manage."

"Hold on," the officer says, and then simply lifts the police line. "Come on, you need to talk to the fire captain before you do anything crazy."

Will really doesn't think it's crazy. He's done a lot of crazy shit before, and cracking a door off its hinges to let a dog free isn't even in the top hundred.

"What are they doing inside the line?" One of the firefighters calls as they approach. He double takes when he recognizes Joey—already pretty distinct—and Will—even more so. "Is that Deathstroke?"

"And Jericho," Will adds. "I hear you've got a door you need busted open?"

"We really can't encourage anyone to go inside," the guy says immediately. "The building's going to have to burn itself down with how bad it is. We're just making sure it doesn't spread at this point."

"Apparently he can hold his breath for thirty minutes," the officer says.

"...You know what, it's right inside. You've got super strength or something like that?"

"Something like that," Will says with a snort. "Just tell me where to go."

He's expecting more resistance, but he doesn't get it. The officer heads to the owners so there's someone to catch the dog if it comes flying out, and the fire captain scratches a quick map into the dirt, explaining where the door is.

If anything, they've overstated. The door to the basement isn't even four feet inside. Will can see fire in the hallway, but it's  _ four feet. _ He can manage.

"Back in thirty or less," he says, and pulls the outer door open.

The heat's intense, but he's not sticking around. So close, he can hear the dog more clearly, and the damn thing's still barking. It has to be right near the top of the stairs, which means he's going to need a bit of finesse rather than just shoulder checking it.

Instead, he does the simple option: he punches his way through the thing wood door, grabs the other side, and rips it out of the wall.

The dog darts between his feet and he nearly trips over it as it bolts from the house. He drops the door, going after it before the heat can get any higher, and is out in what can't be more than twenty seconds.

"Buster!" The woman is wailing, clutching the dog that seems to be completely unharmed as Will heads out of the house. Hell, the damn thing's tail is wagging away, no worse for the wear despite the fact that it nearly died.

"Holy crap," the fire captain says. "That was something."

"Good luck writing up an incident report," Will says. His hand's scratched up from going through the door, but it's nothing more than a few small cuts. The fire captain insists on getting him medical care, and Will's hand gets doused in antiseptic and wrapped up by a smitten looking EMT.

"You saved that dog," the guy says like it's the best thing in the world.

Bruce and the rest have wandered over by the time the fire captain lets Will and Joey leave, and Will's greeted with a grin.

"Oh, that's one to tell Damian," Bruce says. "Saving someone's dog."

"Wasn't a big deal," Will says. "Pulled open a door that didn't quite want to move otherwise."

"Have to tell the kids," Kole says, nudging her husband. "Got to see a real superhero at work."

"Please," Will says, "it wasn't a big deal." It really, really wasn't. "Any of them would have done it."

_ You need a shower, _ Joey signs, sniffing the air.  _ There's going to be no escaping that smokey smell. _

"Excuse me?" Someone calls from behind them, and the group turns to find the couple standing just behind them. The guy's got his fingers hooked in the dog's collar, keeping it from going anywhere. "Are you the one who saved our dog?"

"That's him," Bruce says, and the absolute traitors proceed to  _ all _ point at him.

"I really can't thank you enough," the man says. "The house is insured, but if we'd lost Buster..."

"Please," Will says desperately. "It's not a big deal." He swings his head around, scowling at Bruce. "We should be going, anyway."

They're clearly trying to... to what, give him money? A card? And Will is not having it. He waves them off, wrapping an arm around Joey and steering him away, leaving the still burning fire behind.

"This is what happens when you get into heroics," Slade says with a snort. "You just can't stop yourself."

At the very least, he's cosmically balanced out his dog count, and that has to count for something, right?


	30. Chapter 30

They say goodbyes at the cars. Grant seems excited by the whole thing, and Kole repeats that she can't thank them enough what must be a dozen times.

"We'll get back to you about thanksgiving," Kole says. "We just have to check with everyone else."

"Your family...?" Bruce asks carefully.

"Out of state," she says with a laugh. "And crazy. You don't want them over."

Will doesn't point out that the Wilson-Wayne's are more than a little bit crazy themselves. He figures it's implied: you don't go out at night in an animal costume without being a little bit (or a lot) crazy.

When he realizes Slade's dragging his feat, Will lets himself drift over, flicking his back and dropping his voice.

"Hug him," he hisses.

"What—"

Will flicks him again, and Slade swallows down his nerves before stepping forward.

"We should get going," he says. "But I'll stay in touch, if that's alright with you."

"Of course," Grant says.

God, they're helpless. The two of them are both  _ obviously _ psyching themselves up for it, and Will's wondering if he's going to have to shove Slade into the damn thing when Slade finally finds his nerve and pulls Grant into a hug.

Grant returns it, and Will lets himself relax.

At least they've managed that much.

Everyone piles back into the car, and Joey wrinkles his nose at the smell.

"I'll change," Will says with a sigh. He peels off his shirt, shoving it into a plastic bag in the back seat before pulling on something new, but the smell's in his hair and Joey settles for rolling down the window, letting it take most of the smell with it.

Will drives, the knowledge that they'll be home in less than two hours making the drive a lot more bearable. He's missed it, and he's even willing to admit to himself that he missed it. He needs to wash his clothes and take a half decent shower, and maybe even get the smell of smoke out of his hair at some point.

The sight of the manor feels like the light of the end of a very long tunnel, and Will pulls the car into its spot, climbing out before circling around to the trunk to grab all their bags. He's ambushed before he even makes it to the door, greeted by Damian and Titus, and Damian  _ almost _ goes in for a hug before reeling backwards.

"Why do you  _ smell?" _ Damian asks, wrinkling his nose.

"There was a fire nearby," Will says, and then he watches as Damian's eyes slide off him, looking instead at something  _ behind _ him, and his mouth drops open.

"You saved a dog?!"

Crap. Will glances over his shoulder, scowling at Joey.

_ Like Bruce and Slade wouldn't have said, _ Joey signs, before waving him in.  _ Let's get inside. _

"You really saved a dog?" Damian asks as they march up to the front of the house.

"Wouldn't count that as  _ saving _ it," Will protests. "I just took a door off its hinges. It wasn't a big deal."

"Welcome back," Alfred says as they reach the door, wrinkling his nose at the smell of smoke.

"I know," Will says automatically. "I'm going to go shower it out first thing."

"If you place your dirty clothing just outside your door, I'll ensure it's washed for tomorrow," Alfred says. "Then—"

There's a soft  _ thud _ as Jason slides around the corner, bumping the wall, and he scrambles back upright, heading right for Joey. It's halfway between a hug and a tackle, but Will's distracted by the sound of Tanya coming right after him.

"You're back!" She yells, sounding genuinely excited. Maybe even a little choked up.

Will does not get a hug though. No, he gets Tanya literally sliding to a halt (Alfred does not look impressed) and gasping in horror.

"You're hurt!" She protests, staring at his bandaged hand.

_ It's nothing, _ Joey signs.  _ Will went into a burning building and the fire department insisted on patching it up even though he'd just heal it away. _

Will doesn't correct him.

"He saved a dog," Damian adds solemnly.

Tanya doesn't comment, a fact that Will is  _ very _ thankful for.

"I need to shower," he protests. "We can catch up and all that  _ after _ I've rinsed the soot out of my hair."

He has every intention of literally wading through them as needed, but they let him go without protest.

It feels good to be in his own room. It feels good to shower. He cranks the water up to scorching and rinses his hair a few times, shampooing out the remains of the smoke smell. While in the shower, he peels off the soaked remains of the bandages, dropping them in the trash can before cleaning off his hand carefully.

After he's toweled off, he grabs something soft and comfortable to wear—no way is he leaving the manor for at  _ least _ twenty-four hours—and then dumps all his dirty clothes into the basket, leaving it in the hall for Alfred to grab later.

He heads into the kitchen, hearing the sounds of people in the living room, but ignores it in favor of grabbing himself a drink from the fridge.

Alfred leans in the kitchen doorway, looking pleased.

"Now that you're back..."

He trails off, looking Will over again, and then withdraws.

Will knows it's coming: Alfred's going to go to Joey. Right on cue, Joey leans in the doorway, looking Will over.

_ Pop, _ Joey signs,  _ why is your hand still hurt? _

Because it is. The cuts are minor, little more than scrapes, but they're still there. Will knew the conversation was going to have to happen at some point, even if he'd done what he could to put it off.

"Didn't want my regeneration to be patchy."

_ Pop, you know damn well what I mean. _

"I told you it mattered to me, Joey," he says. "So I stopped my regeneration."

Joey's face scrunches.

_ Pop, please tell me this isn't just about me looking older than you. _

It absolutely goddamn is.

"I'm not letting you out-age me," Will says flatly. "I don't want everyone to be pushing into their fifties and I'm still sitting around looking the same age as Damian."

_ Pop, turn your regeneration back on. _

"No."

Joey throws his hands into the air, his frustration evident. He looks like he's moments away from tearing his hair out.

_ I'm going to get Bruce and Slade, _ he signs.  _ They'll knock some sense into you. _

Then he storms out.

Somehow, Will doesn't think the conversation is going to go the same way Joey thinks it is. Slade and Bruce get marched right into the kitchen, Joey literally pushing them along as the two exchange looks.

"You're not regenerating?" Slade asks.

"Selectively," Will says. "If someone shoots me in my liver, I'll let it regenerate. But I don't want my skin having patches of baby-soft skin and then other patches which have actually aged normally. A few scratches can heal normally."

"So you can get older," Bruce says. He seems almost lost in thought.

_ Tell him to stop it, _ Joey signs.

Slade folds his arms over his chest, fingers drumming against his upper arm as he considers.

"I'm not against it," he finally says. "If he wants to age, let him age."

_ He could get hurt. What if he gets injured? _

"Any of us could get injured, Joey," Will says. He reaches out, wrapping an arm around Joey's waist, and pulls him into a hug. There's tears in Joey's eyes as he buries his face against Will's shoulder, and Will hugs him a little bit tighter in response. "I know you're worried, but I'll be just fine. Everyone else has managed without my kind of regeneration without issue."

Joey pulls back, scowling up at him.

_ But you constantly put yourself in harm's way, _ Joey signs.  _ You literally did that today, pop! _

"That wasn't even dangerous," Will protests.

_ Tell him you'll be more careful, _ Slade mouths to him over Joey's shoulder.

"And I'll be more careful, alright?"

Joey wipes at his eyes before reaching up, pulling him into another hug.

"Regardless," Bruce says, "you should get Alfred to bandage your hand up."

Alfred seems to have been waiting for exactly that, because he almost immediately steps into the kitchen with a first aid kit in hand.

"Of course," he says. "We can't have an injured hand getting close to the food, after all. You'll have to wear gloves."

Will grumbles, but he lets Alfred rebandage his hand. The whole time, Joey stays beside him, watching over him like a worried parent.

_ You'll really be careful?  _ Joey signs.

"If I'm not, you can lecture me," he says. "How about that?"

Damian, Tanya, and Jason leaning in the door, and Will huffs a bit at the obvious gawking.

"...Have you really stopped regenerating?" Jason asks, looking baffled.

"He'll age normally," Bruce points out.

"So he's going to get old?" Damian asks.

"No," Will says flatly. "I'll just age from this point on."

He won't stay the ageless immortal that he never wanted to be in the first place.

He'll get to grow old with the people he cares about, and that's the only thing that matters to him right then.


	31. Chapter 31

Even though he's back, there's still a lot to do. He's got to unpack, Joey has gifts to give out, and he  _ really _ needs to take stock of the kitchen.

But first he needs to talk to Tanya.

He should have talked to her first, but there was no real way to do that. No way to just say  _ alright, everybody out, I need to talk to Tanya. _

So he waits until things are drifting apart, until everyone has something to do, and then goes to find her. He's got the gift they got for her tucked under his arm, and he keeps it mostly out of sight as he walks the manor.

She's the first place he looks, tucked away in the library with her legs pulled up. Her laptop's balancing on her knees, but when she looks up and spots Will she immediately snaps it shut, setting it aside as she starts to stand.

"I know you wanted to talk to me," he says, "but first..." He tosses the sweater over. It's comfortable first and foremost, but the top of the hood has a pair of minnie ears and bow. "Thought you could use something for the winter."

"I..." She holds the sweater out, looking it over, and then hugs it to her chest. "Thank you. I... I didn't think you'd get anything."

"You were hard to shop for," Will admits as he drops down into one of the library seats. "No idea what your tolerance for Disney stuff is, but I figure everyone likes it a bit, right?"

She hugs the sweater that much tighter.

"So," Will says, "I'm not great with beating around the bush or small talk, so I'll get right to it. I want to start over."

"Start... over?" Tanya asks. She looks downright nervous, and Will wonders if there wasn't a better way he could have put this.

Well, too late to wonder.

"We didn't exactly start off on the right foot," he says. "What with the lying. And the blindness. Defiance... All that."

Not exactly his finest moments.

Tanya's hands squeeze together in her lap, and her shoulders curl inward slightly. She's thinking about herself, probably. About mistakes  _ she's _ made.

"Me... having you break up with Bruce."

"You didn't make me break up with Bruce," Will says. "You correctly pointed out an issue I hadn't considered, and I took that into account."

"But you still broke up," she insists. "That was my fault. You were... It was bad."

"I had a rough time of it. I'm still figuring out how the hell you're supposed to handle  _ emotions."  _ Will mutters. He could do without them entirely, honestly. "I didn't exactly handle your arrival in an ideal manner."

"You did just fine."

"I helped bring you over here and then ditched you to go to Disney," Will counters. "I should have stuck around so you had at least  _ someone _ you knew."

"But you being gone helped force me to branch out," she insists. It feels like she's desperate to prove to Will that he wasn't at fault, and Will isn't buying what she's selling.

"I didn't handle it well. I could have done a lot better. That's not really a debatable point: I've mustered up enough self reflection to realize that much."

Tanya seems to wilt.

"Then I handled it worse," she says, and Will  _ knows _ she thinks it's true. It's obvious from the way she says it. She's just horribly, horribly wrong.

"Tanya," he says, leaning forward in his seat. "You're a young girl who just lost everything. Who was pulled into a strange universe, surrounded by people you didn't know, into a situation that would give most people nightmares. You handled it just fine considering the circumstances."

There's an inherent bias in what he's saying. He has more to gain by starting over, because starting over wipes out the things he's done. By comparison, Tanya's done almost nothing.

But it's not  _ entirely _ biased. There's value to be gained in her starting over as well. Will knows better than almost anyone that there's nothing to be gained from trying to cling to the past.

She has to be willing to start over. Not just for the two of them, but overall.

"...Starting over," she says quietly. "Do you think that will... help us?"

"Joey wanted me to treat this as a fresh start," he says. "I think it'd help you too."

Tanya fidgets for a moment, staring down at her hands, and then nods.

"A... a fresh start."

"Fresh start means actually starting," he says pointedly. "No idea what you guys have been up to while I'm gone—you thought at all about what you want to do? Keeping busy helped me a lot."

It makes things so much easier for him, and it's easy enough to recognize that fact. His progress in captivity with very little to do was practically a flat line. When he got out—when he had things to do and could handle his own coping mechanisms—he improved in leaps and bounds.

Part of it was being around Joey, but part of it was just having things to do. Watching his cooking improve made him feel like  _ he _ was improving, and he wants the same for Tanya.

"Before he left, Joey said he'd be willing to take me down to his church, so... that's something." Her hands keep folding together and then unfolding, the motion repeating over and over again, showing how nervous she is.

"Anything else?"

"I... I know I already graduated, but I thought about going back to school. Damian's enrolling in college after the holidays, and I thought it might be a nice way to... to find my footing, I guess. To meet people."

"Still for physics?"

"My degree was a bit more specific," she says. "But I was thinking about taking some more general classes. Trying to branch out."

"You have something in mind, I assume?"

"Just a bit of everything. I'd like to improve my technical writing, for one."

School seems like a good start. It's a place where she can meet people her age—or at least her age  _ range— _ and a way to give her something to do.

"You talked to Bruce about it?"

"Not yet," she says. "I was... I was building up to it, but he seemed busy."

No wonder.

"You should tell him anyway," Will says. "He'll make time."

"And—" Tanya starts, cutting herself off. Oh boy is she nervous, and Will doesn't really understand why.

"Go on," he says. "You might as well say it."

"I know that no one here does the... the  _ hero _ thing, but I was thinking maybe I could reach out to Nightwi—to Dick, and see if there's any way I could be involved."

Will's eyebrows shoot up, and he doesn't even try to hide his surprise.

"You want to go back to that?"

"To being a hero? If I can, yeah," Tanya says. She seems surprised by him being surprised, which is throwing him off.

"You don't have your powers though," Will points out. He knows people can be a hero without powers—Bruce sure as hell managed—but the kind of training you need to be a half decent non-powered hero and a powered one are leagues apart.

"I still want to help," Tanya says. "Even if I don't have powers, there are still things I can do."

"...Alright," Will said after a moment. He couldn't quite figure out how he felt about that, but he supposes it's not really his choice. If Tanya wants to do the hero thing, then it's not like he gets any say. "I should probably start dinner."

"Don't tell Alfred," Tanya says quietly, "but I think we've all missed your cooking."

Will cracks a smile at that, and then gives a little wink.

"Secret's safe with me."

But it  _ does _ make him feel a little bit smug, if he's being honest.


	32. Chapter 32

Will's heading towards the kitchen when he catches Jason coming out of the family wing. He's got a sweater on, which seems unnecessary to Will, but then Will takes a closer look and realizes why.

"Hold on," he calls, and Jason stops short, glancing over his shoulder to squint at Will.

When Will reaches his side, he doesn't bother to explain. Instead, he reaches up, adjusting the neck of Jason's shirt so that it hides the bite on his neck he was clearly trying to disguise.

Jason goes pink.

"There you go," Will says. "Tell Joey to be more careful picking a spot next time."

Jason was pink before, but after Will's comment he's  _ red, _ mumbling something inaudible about Joey and bites. Will chuckles and brushes the comment off, heading for the kitchen on his own and leaving Jason in the hall.

It's easier than he thought to slip into his old routine. Despite his previous insistence that he wasn't going to leave the house, the state of the cupboards is  _ awful. _ They're half-empty and missing plenty of things he needs for dinner, so he simply announces he's going to restock and leaves.

Serving up dinner that night feels satisfying in a way that he used to associate heavily with finishing a job. It just feels  _ good _ to be back in the manor.

"I like the haircut," Slade says over dinner. "Feels more... you."

"I prefer you with the beard," Damian says, squinting at Will. "You look young."

"I am young," Will points out. "Or at least I look it."

"I think without the beard is better," Jason says.

The argument reveals a pretty even split in perception. Half the table prefers him with the beard, while half prefer him without. That said, there's plenty of uniformity: everyone does agree the beard makes him look older, but they also  _ all _ agree that it makes Will and Slade look similar.

The haircut, on the other hand, is a subject of near universal agreement: Tanya's the only person who doesn't particularly seem to like it, and even then she admits it's probably just her not being used to it.

"So," Jason says as dinner starts to wind down, "I have a proposal to make."

The reaction is less than enthusiastic. Will has to admit he's cautiously optimistic, in large part because the fact that Jason is making it then meant he waited for him and Joey to get back to the manor before he did it.

"Go on," Bruce says.

"We've always split the bedrooms by family and guests, but I think it's time to admit that isn't working. We've got too many people, and it's just... weird."

The rooms. Will hasn't given much thought to them, but now that it's been pointed out, he supposes it is fairly lopsided. The manor has two large bedrooms and one's just sitting empty.

"Let me guess," Will says, "you and Joey want the master bedroom in the guest ring?"

"I mean... it makes sense," Jason says. "Thomas isn't going to use it for a long while, and we can always revisit things when he's here."

"How are you suggesting we divide them?" Slade asks.

"Is Titus going to get a room again?" Damian interrupts.

_ Jason and I were thinking splitting by generation,  _ Joey signs.

"Old farts in one wing," Slade says with a laugh. "Kids in the other?"

"Isn't that just three of us in one wing?" Will asks. It seems... lopsided.

"Well, Thomas eventually," Jason says. "But more importantly, Alfred should be in that wing."

Alfred looks taken aback.

"I couldn't."

"You can," Bruce says. "I agree with Jason. Having you in the back of the house feels out of place. You're part of the family."

Will supposes that it likely wasn't that unusual for Alfred to move into the servants quarters when he first moved in forty-ish years ago, but now he has to admit it does strike him as odd.

It takes a moment—it's certainly not instant by any means—but Alfred softens, looking a bit misty eyed. "I'd be happy too, assuming no one else has any objections."

"We've got six normal rooms and a master bedroom in each wing," Jason says. He reaches over, picking up a stack of napkins and starting to set them out, making a little map. Joey rolls his eyes, producing a tablet which he drops right on top of Jason's little napkin display, and Jason adjusts immediately, pulling up the house's blueprints.

"Bruce and Slade in the master bedroom of the east wing so they don't have to move. Will, Thomas, Alfred, and the reading room leaves us with two extra. Joey and I will take the other Master bedroom. Then we've got Damian and Tanya and four extra."

"We could just leave Dick and Tim with rooms of their own," Bruce points out. He looks actually upset at the idea of his sons losing their rooms.

"When are they  _ ever _ here without someone else?" Jason asks.

"He has a point," Damian says. "Tim would be unlikely to visit the manor without bringing Jackson and Barbara."

"Master Dick does tend to come with guests as well," Alfred points out.

"This gives us six guest rooms," Jason adds. "Same amount we had back when I first moved in, only the second largest room in the house isn't going to waste."

"No objections," Will says. He's going to have to move everything he owns over, but  _ everything he owns _ isn't exactly a lot.

"Titus should have a room," Damian says.

"Titus can share a room with you," Bruce says. "Titus does  _ not _ need his own room."

Damian huffs.

"Titus and Portia do not get along well," he says. "They bother each other at night if they share a room."

"Then let Portia stay in your room, and Titus can have a dog bed in the living room," Slade says. "That was what we did until someone started spoiling him."

"Alright, lets focus," Bruce says. "Does anyone have any issues with this plan?"

Will doubts it. More or less everyone has already indicated they're fine with it, but Bruce looks at each of them in turn anyway to get confirmation.

"We'll need to inform Master Dick and Master Timothy," Alfred says. "Just in case they've left anything behind."

"I'll handle that," Bruce says. "See when they can come down to move things out."

Tanya shifts nervously, and Will realizes what they've all forgotten. Or maybe just what  _ he'd _ forgotten.

"You know Tim, right?"

"I know  _ our _ version of Tim," Tanya confirms. "I've seen pictures of this one, but... he seems pretty different."

"That's right," Bruce says, seeming surprised. "You haven't met either of them yet."

Tanya hasn't even been there a full week, but in a lot of ways it feels like she's been there much, much longer.

"They're nice," Will says, even though he doesn't actually have that much experience with either. "You'll probably like them."

He gives Tanya a very pointed look that he hopes she understands means  _ and you can talk to Dick about your superhero dreams. _

"Who's coming tomorrow?" Bruce asks, glancing around the table.

_ Tomorrow? _ Joey signs.

"Thomas," Will confirms. "It's Friday. In case it wasn't obvious, I'm not leaving the house."

_ You should consider going, Tanya, _ Joey signs.  _ He was dreaming about you being trapped like me and pop were. _

"We've told him about you," Bruce confirms. "But I do think it might be nice for you two to meet."

"I... I'll go then," Tanya says. "I should probably meet him. He's originally from my world, right?"

A look is exchanged between almost every at the table but Tanya.

"...That is... a very complicated question," Bruce admits. "To say the least."

"Yes but no," Will says. "The Flash fucked up the timeline going back in time to save someone and created a worst case scenario where billions were dead. He managed to put it back, but not everything actually got put back properly."

"...How the  _ hell _ did you know that?" Slade says, absolutely baffled.

"I have my ways."

_ What he means is that I told him, _ Joey signs with a grin.  _ I told him about it when I talked about my time here. _

Will shakes his head at Joey ruining his game, and then gets up to start collecting plates.

He supposes he should probably pack up his things sooner rather than later.


	33. Chapter 33

Tim shows up the next day just after lunch, and to the obvious surprise of pretty much everyone, he comes alone.

"No Barb?" Jason asks, looking bewildered.

"She and Jackson are with Jim," Tim says. "I figured this was a bit more time sensitive. So, who's stealing my room?"

"Are you on the left side or the right side of the hall?" Will asks. Bruce, Tanya, and Damian are gone, but everyone else is shown up to say hi anyway.

"Right."

"Then I'm taking Dicks," Will says. "I want a view of the woods out back." It also puts him across from the reading room, giving him a smidge more privacy. 

"It will be either Thomas or myself," Alfred says. "I have not yet decided which view I prefer. I suppose we'll have to see how much damage you've left behind."

"Absolutely none, I swear."

Tim's room is fairly neat when he starts unloading. Most of it goes straight into the donation pile, the sizes a bit too small for Tim to ever think about wearing. There's a number of books that end up relocated to the library, but most of what Tim cared about went with him when he left.

"I think I prefer this view," Alfred admits. "So I'll be claiming this for myself, if that's alright."

"Of course," Tim says, looking genuinely happy that Alfred's taking over his room. "It's about time you moved into the family wing."

"Adult wing," Slade corrects, and Joey wrinkles his nose.

_ That just sounds wrong, _ he signs.

"East and west?" Will suggests, because they're by far the simplest.

"Old farts and young guns," Jason suggests with a grin.

"Why not B wing?" Tim suggests. "Like Batman."

"We've got one Batman per wing right now," Jason points out.

"Just call it east and west," Will groans. "Why do you all have to be so  _ dramatic?" _

"Oh no," Slade says, "you ran around in a costume with a nickname just like the rest of us. You're just as bad."

_ He's worse, _ Joey signs with a shake of his head.  _ Pop had the ikon suit for years and used the tacky orange-and-black suit anyway. _

"May I recommend," Alfred says, "that we theme them appropriately? The angle of the house means that the west wing gets the majority of the sunlight, while the east wing tends to get far less light for the majority of the year. The west wing can be the day wing, and the east wing can be the—"

Everyone groans in unison.

"I hate it," Slade says. "Bruce is going to love it."

"Bruce?" Tim says. "Dick's going to go crazy."

_ I like it, _ Joey signs.  _ It fits. East wing has a darker color scheme anyway. _

"Joey, you  _ do _ have a nighttime cityscape to hang," Slade points out. "If there was a matching daytime one..."

"We're not hanging a painting of me at the front of each wing," Jason says, going red.

"I think it would fit quite nicely," Alfred says. "Perhaps not a second painting of Master Jason, though."

_ I'll paint something new for both, _ Joey signs.  _ The one of Jason wasn't intended to be part of a matched set, after all. _

Tim doesn't take much convincing to keep around for dinner, although he seems deeply perturbed by the fact that  _ Will _ is the one doing the cooking.

"Not Alfred?"

"Will has been doing all the cooking for some time," Alfred confirms. "I think you'll find it more than satisfactory."

Tim's clear lack of belief in his cooking abilities means he  _ has _ to show off, making something that tastes  _ and _ looks great. Tim stares at it skeptically as Will cooks, but then gets sidetracked by Bruce and the others returning.

"That was a mess," Bruce announces. "They had a riot on the maximum security side of things, which made everything slower on  _ our _ side of things."

"Surprised you didn't wade in to help," Slade says.

"I'll pass," Bruce grunts. "Me wading in wouldn't have done anyone any good. The only thing that would have happened is half the prisoners deciding that bat's on the menu."

Tanya's gawking none-too-subtly at Tim, and Will doesn't blame her.

"Doesn't look much like him, does he?"

"Like who—oh, you know Tiny Tim?"

Tanya coughs in a desperate attempt to hide her laughter at the mention of  _ Tiny Tim. _

"Yeah," she confirms. "I was on his team for a while. The Titans."

"Wait, wasn't the Titan's Dick's team?"

"Every Robin ran the Titans at one point or another except for Jason," Will says. "Dick started it, Tim took it over when he left, and then Damian brought it back when he kidnapped the old original members."

"He neglected to mention that part," Damian complains.

"The differences between dimensions are... interesting," Tanya says, looking Tim over. "Some people are older, some people are younger... different things played out in unexpected ways."

"It's pretty weird," Tim agrees. "Imagine finding out I'm tiny... or that I never even dated Barb."

Or, Will thinks to himself, imagine finding out you'd decided to give up working to marry Batman.

Tanya seems to do fairly well with Tim, even with the differences. He's not quite an old friend, but instead like someone similar to someone she was once close with.

Will's already packed his things, but there's nothing he can do until Dick arrives. Instead, he helps Tim carry what he wants to keep to his van and then goes to help Alfred.

Alfred's been living in the same room for decades, and there's plenty to move. He looks almost pained as he looks over it, and Will leans against the door frame, frowning.

"You don't have to move," he points out.

"No," Alfred says, "but it would be better if I did. The room's always been small, and I'd prefer to have more natural light, especially in the mornings."

There's a whole lot of stuff to go through, a lot of which gets packed away in boxes.

"For storage," Alfred admits. "I can't quite bring myself to part with it."

"We've got room," Will says. "Plenty of space in the garage." Or the cave. It's gone largely unused, and in the end that's where it gets stored: in a corner of the cave, unused and growing dusty.

"...It's strange having it be so quiet," Alfred comments at one point while they're dropping boxes off. "The cave feels almost empty."

"Gotham's been quiet," Will agrees. "It's nothing like the Gotham I knew."

"Joey has mentioned as much," Alfred says. "It was like that here one day as well. Now, the police have things under control. There's the occasional crisis—especially elsewhere in the country—but nothing like it once was."

It strikes Will as an almost painful thought: that the part of his life where he took jobs that would infuriate the family is over. That the same is true for almost everyone else, too. Jason is retired. Damian will go off to school and have a normal life.

Tanya's the only one still interested.

He makes a point of telling her as much that evening.

"When Dick comes," he says, "you should talk to him about the hero thing."

Tanya double takes, squinting at him as she looks him over.

"I kind of got the impression you were against it."

"I was," he says. No point pretending he wasn't. "I changed my mind."

"...Any reason?"

"Struck me as sad that Gotham doesn't have any heroes left. They're all retired or from out of town."

"I'm not even from Gotham," Tanya points out. "I'm not a... a home grown hero."

"Mm. That came out wrong. I mean there should be more... young... heroes."

"...You think there should be a Teen Titans here."

"Something like that."

"It  _ has _ struck me as odd that there's just... no Titans. But it feels like Dick should be leading it. It was his team first, you know?"

"Just talk to him about it," Will says. "See what he says."

"... Sure," she says. Her look is undeniably scrutinizing, and Will can't help but feel like she knows  _ exactly _ what he's thinking.

Maybe even before he does.


	34. Chapter 34

Tim left the house with several boxes, but when Dick comes by the next day he takes only an armful.

"Already emptied everything I cared about when I moved out," Dick admits. "Shouldn't be much left around."

There isn't. The room's almost empty to start, but they box up some stuff for donation anyway.

"You're taking my room?" Dick asks, looking Will over. "Guess I probably won't need to tell you my secret hiding places." He grins to make it clear he's kidding, and Will grins right back.

"Floorboard halfway under the nightstand," Will says. "Creaks if you step on it; I imagine it can be lifted?"

"It's a good thing you weren't around when I was a kid and having to hide things in there," Dick says.

Dick hasn't come alone. He's brought along one of his team who Joey informs him is named Dax. Dax doesn't look entirely comfortable in the manor, and Will suspects he probably hasn't spent all that much time there.

When Will nudges her a bit, Tanya finally asks Dick if she can talk to him, and the three of them go off to talk out back. Will's left with Bruce and Slade, who looks like it's taking all of his effort not to spy on them through the window.

"Dax lives with Dick now," Bruce clarifies. "His mother passed away, and his father..." Bruce's nose wrinkles, looking deeply unimpressed. "His father abandoned him. Dick's stepped in to make sure he's alright."

"Kind of reminds me of someone," Slade says, nudging Bruce, who rolls his eyes.

"Do we know what they're talking about?" Bruce asks, leaning slightly to try and get a better view of the three out back.

"Heroing," Will says. He doesn't think it needs to be a secret. "Tanya wants to start it up again."

"With Dick?" Bruce asks, looking surprised.

"With whoever will take her," Will says with a shrug. "Everyone here's retired."

"Dick's here?" Jason calls as he returns to the house. Joey and Damian are with him, carrying shopping bags as they return.

"Out back," Slade confirms. "He brought Dax, they're talking with Tanya now."

Or they were. Dick probably heard the sound of the car getting back, because the conversation seems to be wrapping up as they leave their seats, heading back into the house.

Jason fistbumps Dax, looking pretty comfortable with the kid. Joey seems to know him as well, although clearly not as well. Bruce looks eager to find out what  _ exactly _ was discussed, but none of them directly bring it up as everyone catches up.

"Can't stay too long," Dick admits. "I've got afternoon classes to teach."

Will doesn't particularly think teaching classes at a gym is a productive use of the time of  _ any _ Dick Grayson, but he's not in a position to argue. It'll just come across as controlling, and he's doing what he can to  _ not _ come across that way right then.

So he manages to hold his question in until Dick and Dax have left and he gets a moment of at least partial privacy with Tanya.

"So?"

"He was supportive," Tanya admits, "but he's not really taking new people. Between his job and making sure Dax is alright, he doesn't have the time. He says he's been neglecting his own team as it is."

Will  _ hmphs. _ Not the answer he was hoping for.

"I'll just have to focus on schooling instead," Tanya says.

"What?"

Tanya squints at him.

"...I can't do the hero thing. I'm not cut out to be a solo hero, and Dick isn't taking anyone else."

"So find another team."

"There's no large teenage superhero teams," Tanya points out, "and the League isn't going to take someone like me on. They're... official. Formal."

"There should be a Teen Titans," Will grumbles. "That would sure as hell solve a lot of  _ my _ problems."

"How would it solve your problems...?" Tanya asks. She's looking more confused by the second.

Will waves his hand. He's having a hard time figuring out exactly what about the situation makes sense to him, but it does.

"You should ask Bruce."

"Ask Bruce about  _ what? _ Will, you aren't... making sense."

"About the Titans," Will says.

Tanya splutters.

"Will, I can't just... I can't just  _ found the Titans." _

He considers for a moment and then relents.

"You're right," he says. "I should."

Tanya buries her face in her hand.

"Will," she says, her tone absolutely desperate. "Are you really... are you really thinking about this? About... about leading the Titans?"

"About mentoring them. I did just fine with Defiance, and that was the Titans in everything but name. I'll help set it up, make sure everything is in working order, and then it's back to retirement for me."

"You can't just...  _ that," _ Tanya protests. "The team needs a leader. You can't set them up and then leave."

"They'll have a leader," Will says. "They only need a mentor to start. If they're associated with the League, they'll probably have a handler like how Steve handles them."

"You—you know what, you should talk with Bruce. He'll talk some sense into you, and I won't have to waste my time explaining why this is a bad idea."

Tanya seems to be firmly of the opinion that Bruce is going to talk him into it, and Will doesn't agree with her assessment. She's giving him a look though, so he simply heads through the house with her trailing behind, searching for Bruce.

He finds him on the phone in the hall, but he gestures for silence, wrapping up his conversation before tucking it away.

"You needed something?"

Will isn't going to drag it out.

"I'm proposing the Justice League found a junior division: the Teen Titans."

Bruce stares at him.

"...With who?"

"Tanya, for one. Otherwise I'd assume the League members would pick their own representatives."

"I meant with who—you're talking about yourself. You're going to lead them?" Bruce asks, his expression going from mild confusion to absolute bafflement in the blink of an eye.

"Don't see why not."

"...You know what, I'll get back to you on this," Bruce says, and Tanya makes a strained noise.

"Wait," she says desperately. "This isn't a no?"

"A situation came up with a member of the League," Bruce admits. "This would be a possible solution to it, so I'll pitch it at the emergency meeting we're having tonight."

"Everyone alright?" Will asks, raising an eyebrow. Bruce's  _ a member  _ feels almost intentionally vague, and he's wary of it being something he should care about.

"Everything's fine," Bruce confirms. "But it's confidential right now."

"So you're... you're actually considering this?" Tanya asks, glancing between the two. "Founding the Titans?"

"Eventually, other heroes will retire," Bruce says. "Most of them have some sort of successor already in place, or someone younger they've been training. But none of those successors have any sort of team experience. Knowing how to work together is vital, and I think the League would have been a lot better off if we had started out knowing each other. Even now, the league feels like small groups that only come together occasionally."

"Comes from being different ages, for one," Will points out. "Everyone's similar ages back where we're from."

"It's a thought that occurred to me," Bruce agrees. "That's why I'm hoping they'd be different if we did this. If we had a team who were all around the same age, who knew each other and worked together... wouldn't that be better overall? It would be setting a better foundation for the future."

"Mmm," Will says. "You're better at pitching this then I am."

"And that's why  _ I'm _ the one on the Justice League," Bruce says with a grin. "I'll get back to you tonight. We're just tele-conferencing in."

Will really can't imagine they'd say no.


	35. Chapter 35

Bruce calls the family together later that evening, and Will knows he's already got his way. There's no question about it, no other possible option. If the answer was no, he'd just tell Will no privately, not invite the whole family around to discuss.

"So," Bruce says with the air of someone about to give a formal speech, "there's been an update with the League."

Out of the corner of his eye, Will sees Tanya start to fidget.

"Barry had someone... ah, crash land into his life last night. He's already been busy helping Wally figure out his powers, which has put a strain on his normal life, but last night he nearly ended up having his cover completely blown."

"Why do I have a feeling that when you say  _ crash landed _ you meant  _ literally,"  _ Jason says.

"Because he does," Slade confirms. "The kid knocked through a wall skidding to a stop. Barry had to cover up the fact that someone had gone through his wall, which was... difficult."

_ Who's the kid? _ Joey signs.

"Another speedster," Bruce says. "Barry said his name was Bart, and he claims to be from the future."

The reaction to what should be an earth shattering reveal is muted.

"The future?" Tanya asks, looking skeptical. "Why did he come back, then...?"

"He's being cagey," Slade says. "He's made it clear he came back intentionally, and that he's supposed to be here, but any time anyone asks why he dodges the question. Barry literally doesn't even have a room for him to sleep in, and is panicking about how he's going to explain him."

"Let me guess," Will says, "this is where I come in?"

Bruce nods.

"Will has offered to help run a team modeled after the one in his world—the Teen Titans. We're discussing it internally, but the time-sensitive nature of Barry's situation means we're pushing it through sooner rather than later. The proposal suggested by Arthur is that every member of the League sponsors a single person for membership."

"All teenagers?" Jason asks, and Bruce nods again.

"The idea is to have a group of people who are all around the same age, who can trust each other and work together. It's a good idea even without the complications Barry is facing. Tanya has also expressed interest in going back to superheroics, so this works out."

Damian's hand goes up, and Slade squints at him.

"...Yes?"

"I was volunteering."

Bruce looks downright scandalized.

"You retired," he says. "You agreed to retire."

"I agreed that I was alright with retiring along with everyone else. That does not mean it would be my first choice. If every member of the League is nominating a member, that means Jon will be on the team, and I have no intention of sitting at home while he goes out and is a superhero with a bunch of other people our age without me."

Slade drags his hand down his face.

"Should have seen this coming," he mutters, but he doesn't actually try and argue. Realistically, Will doesn't see how he  _ can. _ Damian has good, solid points. It would be unfair to try and keep him at home, and it's not as if there's someone else they'd be quick to volunteer.

"Tanya and Damian," Bruce says, his head turning to Jason and Joey. "Are you two alright with this?"

_ We'd be allowed to visit, right? _ Joey signs, and Bruce nods.

"I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to."

_ Good, _ Joey signs.  _ I'm not against the hero thing, but I'm not seeking it out either. I'm happy staying retired. _

"Wayne Outreach needs my attention," Jason admits. He's been spending more and more time there, but even so there's still plenty more he could be doing, and he knows it.

"Do we know who else will be joining?" Damian asks, looking pleased with the turn of events.

"I don't even have confirmation on Jon," Bruce says. "At this point it's a matter of how fast ARGUS can put things together."

"So what you're saying is that I shouldn't move my stuff into Dick's old room, because I'm probably going to be moving it into wherever you decide to stick us."

Bruce cracks a smile at that.

"Probably," he admits. "You can still have the room. You'll need a place to come back to if you visit, and it's not as if you'll be staying there forever. A lot of this is... very temporary."

"You're hoping you'll find someone better suited to handling the team."

"I'm hoping you get a chance to stay retired," Bruce says. "You seemed happy. I don't want to compromise that."

Will catches Joey looking at him with one of his too-intense looks.

_ Pop, _ Joey signs.  _ Promise me if it's not working out, you'll come home? _

"I'm not going to stick around a failing team," he says. "If it's not working out, I'll tell the League and come back." He's not going to tie his boat to a sinking ship, for one. "But it'll be fine. If I've got Tanya, Damian, and Jon, I can't imagine there'd be any issue."

If anything, the real issue is going to be that they have too  _ much _ power and experience.

"Any idea where they'll be stationing us?"

"Undecided," Slade says. "Mostly up to ARGUS. I doubt you'll be in this area, though. Things are pretty much handled."

Will suspects they're going to be heading west. The west coast doesn't have nearly as much coverage as he's used to, and he makes a point of saying so.

"Classically, the Titans were stationed in San Francisco. Who's located there?"

Bruce shrugs, and Slade looks to Jason.

"There's at least two heroes," he says. "Probably a couple? One seems to have no powers, the other has some size-changing thing going on."

"We can't even be sure you'll be stationed there," Bruce says, "but I'll put a word in if you want."

"I don't really have a preference," Will says. "I simply felt it would be appropriate."

Somehow, he doesn't think ARGUS is going to have time to slap together a T shaped tower though.


	36. Chapter 36

There's a knock at his bedroom door that night, and Will pauses from what little packing he has left to get it. He isn't surprised that it's Joey (although he wasn't going to rule out someone else), and waves him in, closing the door behind him.

He's ready for the lecture.

_ Pop, _ Joey signs,  _ are you going to be okay? _

"I'm not going to take any risks," Will says. He doesn't think it needs to be said over and over again, but if that's what's necessary to calm Joey down, then so be it. "I'll be serving in an advisory role. I'm not going to wade into fights unless absolutely necessary. If things are bad enough... I'll just turn my regeneration on."

He doesn't want to, but he will. Better to be up front so Joey doesn't think he's doing anything  _ that _ stupid.

_ That isn't what I mean, _ Joey signs.  _ I mean mentally. _

"...Mentally?" Will asks, raising an eyebrow.

_ It's your first time really away from us. Your first time being on your own. _

"On my own with League supervision," Will points out. "Not quite the same thing. You'll all be visiting regularly enough, so it's not like I'm isolated."

Joey reaches out, taking Will's hand and giving it a short squeeze before releasing it.

_ You'll be more isolated than you are now. You can always call, alright? _

"You're making it sound like I'm a teenager going off to college," Will says with a snort. "I can handle myself. I did just fine with Defiance."

_ Most of us were older, _ Joey signs.  _ This is different. _

"You keep saying it's different, but it isn't," Will counters. "This is just an extension of that. Take two of the concept. It's a way for me to prove myself to them. To show I can be trusted. I'll take a few months, get everything all set up, and then I'll be back in no time."

_ Pop. _ Joey doesn't follow it up right away, holding Will's attention as he waits for Joey to make up his mind on what he wants to say.  _ They already trust you. _

"They shouldn't."

Sometimes it feels like they all forgot that he kidnapped Jason. Hell, it almost feels like it never happened.

_ But they do. They trust people here. That's the difference. In our world, the members of the Justice League barely know each other's names. People on the same team are forbidden from sharing their identities. Everyone is paranoid, and nobody trusts anyone. Things are different here because that trust exists. The League has each others backs. People are more willing to be open with one another. _

Trust. Joey has a way of putting into words things that Will's been thinking but hasn't quite managed to really understand. Trust. That the most fundamental differences between universes is  _ trust. _ One League, founded to be prepared by friends and allies. Another, founded out of necessity after a catastrophe forced their hand.

The idea of the Batman he knew going  _ public _ seems impossible.

"You're right," Will says. Joey is always right, and he regrets how long it took for him to realize that. "But I should still prove myself. So there's no doubts. So they don't... wonder."

He doesn't want them to wonder. He wants to make it painfully clear how committed to things he is. That he'll do anything to stay there with Joey. With the whole family, even.

He likes the place he's found there.

_ Alright, _ Joey signs.  _ But you can call if anything comes up, alright? Or even if you're just bored. _

"And you can always come visit," Will says, "wherever they stick me."

Joey goes in for a hug, and Will wraps an arm around him, giving him a quick squeeze.

"Oh," Will says, "were you going to take Tanya tomorrow?"

_ To church? That was the plan if she's still up for it. _

"Good. She might not get a second round, so... good first impression counts."

_ I'll be careful. _

"And be more gentle with Jason. He's fragile."

_ Pop, _ Joey signs with a roll of his eyes,  _ only you would describe Jason as fragile. And you know if he heard you'd said that he'd die of embarrassment. _

There's a pause, and Joey's face seems to fall ever so slightly.

"What's wrong?"

_ If you leave soon, you're going to miss Thanksgiving, _ Joey signs.  _ You'll have been here six months. I was going to do a party. _

Will opens his mouth to answer, only to be cut off by Joey.

_ You should only do this team thing if you're committed, _ he signs.  _ You can't go and then keep leaving to come back for petty things. _

"I'll come back for the holidays," he says. It seems like a nice compromise. "Lots of the kids will probably have families who want them back for the holidays anyway, and anyone who doesn't can just get bundled in here. Not like Bruce would mind."

_ He'd probably love to have a pack of kids over, _ Joey signs, the smile returning to his face.  _ Don't give him any ideas. _

"Too late," Will says with an exaggerated sigh. "If it involves adopting every teenager within a ten mile radius, he's already had that thought."

_ He's not  _ that _ bad, _ Joey signs, looking less than convinced.

"He absolutely is. He adopted three kids, and then borrowed you and Tanya. That's not even counting all the grandchildren, or Damian, or any of the kids his kids have snagged. This family has an addiction to adopting kids."

_ Pretty sure Tanya's yours, pop. _

Will raises an eyebrow.

"Mine? She likes Bruce and Slade."

Joey rolls his eyes, throwing his arms into the air.

_ Really, pop? She treats you like you're her dad already. _

"It's not that bad."

Joey gives him a long, hard look, and Will grunts.

"...I... suppose," he says. "I just don't think I'm doing even a half decent job."

_ Just be aware of it, _ Joey signs.  _ That she's obviously treating you like one. With you being the only adult for most of these kids, a lot of them are going to treat you like a surrogate parent. _

"Great," Will says. "Maybe we should send Bruce instead."

_ You'll do just fine, _ Joey signs.  _ You did fine with Tanya before, and you did great with Wallace. _

"Except when I stole the Speed Force."

_ I am trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here pop. Just play along, alright? _

Will leans over, giving Joey a quick peck on the forehead.

"Go to bed," he says. "Jason's probably wondering what's taking you so long."

_ He can wait. _

"But he shouldn't have to. I'm not going to vanish without saying goodbye, alright?"

_ Of course not, _ Joey signs.  _ If you did, I'd fly out to wherever you went and kick your ass. _

"Should have expected as much," Will says with a laugh.

They say goodnight, and Will sees him off, watching Joey head down the hall to where Jason's no doubt waiting for him.


	37. Chapter 37

Will isn't surprised when he heads into the dining room the following morning to find Jon Kent sitting at the table like he's been there all along. He's grinning ear to ear, chatting excitedly with Damian while Tanya occasionally chips in.

"Let me guess," Will says as he drops a plate of blueberry pancakes onto the center of the table, "you got picked for the team?"

"Dad said he thought my brothers needed more training, and since there was only one spot, I was the obvious choice. I've had more time to practice, after all."

Jon's practically squirming in his seat, his excitement obvious.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you," Will says as he takes his own seat. Half the table isn't even there, but he's learned not to wait up.

"Morning Jon," Bruce says as he arrives, not looking surprised by the addition of an extra person. "Everything alright over at your house?"

"Mom insisted on packing for me," Jon says with a roll of his eyes. "She's worried I'm going to be the youngest one on the team."

Jon probably  _ is _ going to be the youngest one on the team. At thirteen, anyone younger than him is going to get a good hard look and a rejection stamp from Will. Hell, the only reason he's alright with Jon is because the kid can get punched through a wall without noticing.

"Is she right?" Tanya asks Bruce, looking at him expectantly, and Bruce shrugs.

"We don't have a full roster yet," he says. "We only have four confirmations right now, and we're still waiting on the rest."

"Speaking of the fourth," Will says, "what's happening to the kid? Barry keeping him for now?"

"Barry for now," Bruce confirms. "It's very time-sensitive."

Damian and Jon head over to the Kent house after breakfast, despite Bruce's attempt to get Damian to pack. Tanya and Joey leave for therapy-and-church, and Will forgets to ask how they're even handling that. He supposes it doesn't matter: Joey will handle it just fine.

He spends a bit more time helping Alfred move his stuff, cleaning out the room that was once Alfred's. It's small, with the only natural light coming from a high-set window, and Will doesn't blame him for being quick to move into a better room.

He's technically the first to move at all.

It's just after lunch when there's a security beep. Someone's crossed into the part of the forest they own, and Will trusts Slade and Bruce's security enough to know it's not an animal.

"Trouble?" Slade asks when they both end up checking the same security panel.

"It's someone, alright," Will says. "Not too far off the path to the Kents."

"Not near any of our cameras..."

"I'll handle it," Will says.

Slade almost argues, and then looks him over once again.

"...Fine," he says, "but go in your suit."

The security so far out in the forest is thin, little more than an early warning system to give them a heads up. He heads to the alarm that was set off, and notes plenty of signs that someone passed through.

His phone vibrates in his pocket, and he checks it to find a message from Slade.

**Crossed North Barrier, C-5. Left area.**

He  _ should _ be able to call it there. Whoever entered has left, and the whole thing was probably an accident. But C-5 puts them near Clark's land, and Will heads towards it, keeping himself quiet and out of sight.

If someone's sneaking around, he wants to know who.

He follows the trail off their land and straight onto Clark's, being careful to be slow and quiet. He spots the figure—themselves crouch low to the ground and seemingly making an effort to be quiet—and works his way towards them, making sure to keep them from noticing a damn thing.

They're a photographer. Paparazzi, considering they're trespassing, and they're obviously slowly sneaking up to Clark's house to try and get some shots. It's a ballsy move, considering he's spying on  _ literal Superman. _

Will weighs the pros and cons of literally jumping the guy, and settles for a more tactful approach that's less likely to blow back on everyone else.

"So," Will says loudly, and the guy jumps, spinning around to see who just spoke.

And then, of course, he bolts.

He runs as if he's actually expecting to get away from Will, and Will has to give him credit for that, but he doesn't make it ten feet before will bodychecks him, knocking him to the ground.

"Will?" Someone—Clark?—calls from above, and Will simply sits on the poor bastard's back.

"Down here," he calls, and Clark drops through the top of the trees, looking  _ very _ confused.

"What..." He looks down, obviously recognizing the camera the man has dropped, and then lets out a sigh, dragging his hand down his face. "I could have handled it."

"He was on our property first," Will clarifies, "so I followed him."

The man looks absolutely terrified, and Will rolls his eyes.

"I'll handle him," Clark says. "He's trespassing—"

"On both our properties," Will points out. Technically not  _ his, _ but close enough. "You call the cops, I'll keep him here."

Will expects more trouble than he gets, but then he doesn't usually stick around for the part where the cops show up. They're polite, if a bit cautious, and Clark does most of the talking.

When they're done—the trespasser loaded into the back of the police cruiser in cuffs, his camera confiscated, and the police on their way—Will thinks they're done.

They're not.

"Could I talk to you for a minute?" Clark asks, and Will goes stiff. Clark seems nice enough, but Will can't imagine any sort of positive conversation he might be wanting to have. It's almost definitely about the Titans, and whether he's warning Will away from the idea or telling him he'll be keeping an eye on him...

"Sure."

Clark shifts nervously, opening his mouth to speak before second guessing himself.

"Just say it," Will says.

Clark fidgets a bit more before he finally manages to do so.

"I'm just worried," he says. "Jon hasn't been on his own like this before. Or—not on his own, but away from us. The only time he hasn't had one of us around, he was with my parents. Even that was only a few days, and—"

"Clark," Will says, stopping him before he can go any farther. "He'll be fine. I'm not going to let any of the kids get themselves hurt."

"I'm not worried about him getting hurt," Clark admits. "I'm worried... I'm worried he'll have trouble and that he won't reach out. He wants to be there with his friends. He wants to be on the same level as Damian, even though Damian's older than him. Even if he was upset, I don't think he'd ever come home because of it. So I just... I was just wanting to ask you to keep an eye on him."

"I was going to keep an eye on him anyway," Will points out. "Especially if he's the youngest. If this is all you need to ask, then you don't need to have bothered."

"You're fine with me dropping by? Just to check in...?"

"I don't care," he says. "Jon probably will."

"He'll have to manage," Clark says, cracking a smile. "I had to talk his mother out of spending the first week there just to make sure he was alright."

"I'd have taken issue with  _ that," _ Will points out. He's already resigned himself to the fact that League members are no doubt going to be stopping by to check in, but he's not running a daycare. If people can't handle themselves, he'll ship them right home.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine," Clark says, "but if you need any help..."

"I know where to find you," Will finishes. "And I'll have full access to the League."

"I know," Clark says. "I just worry."

Will can't entirely blame him for that, even if he doesn't think Jon needs worrying over. He's just a parent worrying for their kid, and that makes Will a hell of a lot more sympathetic to him.


	38. Chapter 38

Joey heads right to his room when he gets home, so Will is forced to check in with Tanya.

"How'd it go?" He asks, leaning in to the living room where she's sitting with Jason.

"It went well," Tanya says, her hands folding together. "Obviously I can't make it a regular thing, but he said if I had any theological questions, I could reach out to him. He was really, really nice. Have you been?"

"Once," Will says. "I wasn't there for the whole service, just there to pick up Joey."

"He's really nice," Tanya says again. "I'm not going to have time for church while I'm with the Titans, so..."

"Unless I give you a personal day," Will grunts. "We'll see."

"You already thought about that stuff?" Jason asks, raising an eyebrow at Will.

"Thought about it back when I was running Defiance. Priorities were different then."

"Now you don't have to argue with Miss Kane," Tanya says, and Will scowls at the mention of his ex-wife.

"Maybe I'll actually get some work done without her looming over me."

The conversation turns to less-serious subjects, and Will ends up excusing himself to prepare food. Joey skips lunch entirely, with Jason informing everyone that he's  _ busy, _ and ends up taking some food to him anyway while Will tries not to worry too obviously.

"Maybe I should check on him."

"Give him space," Slade says without even looking up. "You already talked to him, right?"

Will grunts at Slade, because he has, but that doesn't change things.

"You thought about therapy?"

"Where did that come from?" Will asks, squinting at Slade.

"Tanya was talking with Damian about their plans," Slade says. "She was talking about the fact that she has an easier time because she doesn't have a bunch of connections back at home to maintain. It occured to me that you had almost no actual therapy sessions, you missed you last one, and you'll probably be sneaking out before your next one."

"You make it sound intentional."

"I think it's subconscious. You don't like it, and you're willing to take any sort of excuse," Slade says. He lifts his eye, fixing Will with a serious look.

"You would know."

"I would," Slade confirms. "I made an honest attempt, and that was enough for Bruce. But I don't like it. I do better handling things by talking it out with other people and working it through on my own."

"Fat chance I can convince Bruce to extend me the same courtesy."

"He would," Slade says, "if you asked. But you should probably give it a bit more time."

"Did you?"

Slade mysteriously decides not to answer.

Will does make an effort to talk about it with Bruce later that evening, pulling him aside when he gets a moment.

"Can I talk to you?"

"The dad in me wants to joke that you already are," Bruce says, cracking a smile. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about therapy."

"Let me guess," Bruce says. "You think you're doing just fine without it, and you're hoping to just skip it while you're with the Titans."

Bruce has read him like a book, hasn't he?

"And?"

"While I'd prefer you to continue with your current therapist, I can understand your... reluctance. Especially considering you'd have to do it via webcam. So I'll offer a compromise."

Will raises an eyebrow.

"Your aide has some experien—"

"My  _ what?" _

Bruce actually laughs at that.

"Will, we weren't going to send you in there completely alone. You'll have a coworker of sorts, who will also be living with the Titans. I'm not going to stick you with nine kids by yourself."

"Who?"

Bruce shrugs.

"I've heard a few names thrown around, but they're seeing who's available. They'll be from ARGUS. Like how the League has Steve."

"Are they at least going to be  _ useful?" _ Will's already losing hope that he'll have any sort of control of the team. "Do we have a clear chain of command?"

"You're acting team leader," Bruce says. "They're not going to be fighting with you for the role, so you can relax."

At least there's that. He rubs at his forehead with a sigh, and lets himself settle back. What were they talking about?

"Therapy?" He prompts.

"Oh, right," Bruce says, catching himself. "Regardless of who it is, they'll have professional experience. I'm hoping you'll rely on them, and speak to them if you're having any issues. Or... well, any member of the League. I'm not going to force you to continue therapy, but I  _ am _ going to ask you to rely on your support structure."

Will stews on it, considering what's being proposed. But as far as he can tell, there's no way to actually decline without making himself seem like he's being intentionally argumentative. "Alright," he says. "I'll reach out. Seek advice, if needed."

"Good," Bruce says. "Because you'll be leaving tomorrow night."

Will's eyebrows shoot up.

"Tomorrow night?"

"Tickets are booked," Bruce confirms. "West coast. You'll be taking a red eye flight with Tanya, Damian, and Jon."

"We're flying... commercial?" Will asks. The idea feels baffling. He hasn't flown commercial in... well, in a very long time.

"I'm shipping equipment separately," Bruce says. "If you need anything specific, let me know. Otherwise... yes. You'll be flying commercial."

"Please tell me we're at least first class."

Bruce huffs.

"...Of course it's first class."

"Good," Will says. "I can distract the kids with that. How public are we?"

"The League is going to announce the initiative after a month or so. Once you're... established. Otherwise, relatively low attention. But it's easy to gloss over you travelling to the west coast, since you'll be landing in Star City."

"Not San Francisco?"

"You're  _ landing _ in Star City. Green Arrow is going to meet you there. He's providing your headquarters."

"Queen is?" Will asks. "Really?"

"He's the one with a base that was handy, and it  _ is _ in San Francisco. Try and be nice, this is his attempt to... reach out, considering."

"You mean he's trying to make up for getting cut off the League."

"He wasn't cut," Bruce says. "He was never on the League. But he's trying to patch things up with us anyway. He's been a solid ally."

"I'll keep that in mind," Will says. He's dealt with Green Arrow before, and in general he's found the man to be insufferable. But that was another Green Arrow from another world, and he knows better than to judge him by his counterpart.


	39. Chapter 39

When Will wakes the following morning, it's with a feeling of dread.

It's his last day.

His last day in the manor.

He knows it's not his  _ last _ day, but it feels like it is, and the feeling is entirely new. The last time he slept in the home he shared with Adeline it was just another day.

He makes breakfast like normal, but it's clear that things aren't going to play out the way he's expecting. There's the fact that Damian arrives with a giant bag, dropping it by the front door and pushing it out of the way. There's the fact that Bruce seems surprised he's even making breakfast.

There's the fact that Joey seems to be almost missing. He shows up for breakfast, but excuses himself almost immediately, claiming he has something to do.

Will has to stop himself from going after him.

"Jon said he'd be over to drop this things off before lunch," Damian says. "Did you already pack?" He asks the last to Tanya, who looks up at him like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I don't really have much... stuff," she admits. "It wasn't very hard."

"I suppose," Damian says, giving it some consideration before apparently deciding there's nothing to argue over.

"Perhaps we could share lunch duties," Alfred asks Will as they eat. "I'll have to adjust back to handling the cooking. I've enjoyed the break, I must admit, but I'm sure I can handle things just fine in the interim."

"I'd hope so, because I'm not flying back three times a day to feed them," Will says with a snort. Damian perks up at that, looking  _ deeply _ pleased.

"Does this mean you'll be cooking for the Titans?"

"We'll see," Will says. Really, he doesn't see why he wouldn't. Forcing them to eat together is a good team building exercise, and the fastest way to do that is to bribe them with good food.

Damian excuses himself to go help Jon carry his luggage (no one points out that Jon could carry the entire car without help), and Slade ends up pulling Will aside.

"Before you go," he says, "I wanted to show you something."

Will isn't surprised when Slade leads him down into the depths of the cave. Even if he's only serving as a mentor figure, there's no way the League isn't sending him with some high tech gadgets.

And there are  _ plenty _ of gadgets in the cave. There's communicators, what looks like a packed up high powered computer system, and a variety of other equipment strewn across the cave's tables. Slade, however, walks right past them, heading deeper into the cave as Will follows.

He realizes where they're going before they even get there, but he makes an attempt to feign surprise when Slade heads into a particularly secure storage room and stops in front of a glass case holding Deathstroke.

Will's sword.

He's known where it was since the day he buried Grant, but he's left it there. He didn't need it. He's not sure he does right then, either.

"It's yours," Slade says. "We're going to send it in the first shipment. Just in case."

"I don't plan on doing any fighting."

Not for real, anyway. Sparring doesn't count: it's a completely different beast.

"No one ever plans on doing any fighting," Slade says. "Fighting happens anyway. At some point, someone's going to come after you to hurt those kids, and  _ you're _ going to wish you had your sword. So we're going to make sure you have it."

"Just in case."

"Just in case," Slade confirms.

"...You never had it, did you?"

"Nope," Slade confirms.

"The name?"

"Came up with it myself. It's a weird difference, isn't it?"

"You never had a sword?"

Slade ends up taking him to a different room, pulling open a security panel and bypassing even more security. In a secret cave, the fact that Slade has access to another, even  _ more _ secret storage room strikes Will as strangely funny.

The door pops open, revealing what Will can only presume is Slade's  _ Deathstroke Stash. _ He's got his armor set up on a dummy, and an array of weaponry on the walls. Slade taps a long staff, working his way around the room.

"Ballistic staff," he says. "My first choice. Most versatile. An array of guns, although I'm partial to the desert eagle."

Will had one of those himself back at home, although he's not sure he would say he was  _ partial _ to it.

"And my ninjato," Slade says, tapping each one. "Used to get riled up when people called them katana. Was never as partial to swords as you seem to be, but they served their purpose. In a lot of ways, having someone come after you with a sword is scarier than with a gun. Something about the primal parts of the human brain recognizing a sharp thing as a danger, I would guess."

Will's used ninjato before, but only in passing.

"Weren't you supposed to have destroyed all this?"

"Oh sure," Slade confirms. "But I didn't. Wintergreen had all this sitting in storage, and I wasn't going to just let it rot. We moved it over discreetly, and it stays down here... just in case."

Slade's armor is obviously intended for durability, but when Will inspects it he decides that his old armor—the suit stolen by Bland—was probably more durable by half. Slade was simply making do with what he had access to, and he  _ does _ appreciate the aesthetics of it.

"I'll make sure your sword goes," Slade says, guiding him back out of the room before securing it. "Anything else you want?"

"I'm sure you have it handled," Will says. "I don't think I need to make a requisitions list..." Even as he says it, he changes his mind, considering for a moment before correcting. "Get me a set of the most common firearms so I don't have to figure out how to get them myself. I'll need them for demonstrations."

He absolutely  _ could _ get firearms in any city in the damn world, but he doesn't want to. He's supposed to be legitimate, and none of his sources would play nice with that.

"I'll make sure some are included," Slade says, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now how about lunch?"

He spends the middle of the day with Alfred, chatting about the state of the kitchen and preparing a light lunch. Alfred talks about getting a  _ sous vide, _ and Will is more than encouraging of him getting any and all kitchen gadgets he could desire.

"You've become quite a chef," Alfred comments as they finish up. "Your team won't know what hit them."

"No one ever does," Will says, cracking a smile at that.

Jason and Joey don't join them for lunch, and Will isn't capable of holding himself back any longer. He prepares a tray, heading down towards their room and knocking once.

To his surprise, they're not there: no one comes to the door, and when he cracks the door there's no one inside. He's forced to search around, checking in the library and the living room, but there's no sign of them.

He's about to head out back when he spots Jason walking through the hallway, who perks up at the sight of food.

"Oh good," he says. "I was just going to get some food."

"I was just bringing it to you," Will says. "Where's Joey?"

"Is that a grilled cheese?" Jason asks, dodging the question. Will feels a bubble of frustration, but shoves it down, passing the tray over to Jason when he holds out his hands.

"Everything alright?"

Jason hesitates, then nods.

"Just fine," he says. "Don't—I mean, don't tell him I said anything because he's trying to keep it a secret, but he's just trying to finish something up before you go."

Oh. Part of Will wishes he'd just had a bit more time with Joey, but he supposes a few hours doesn't make much of a difference in the long run.

"Get him to call," Will says, "whenever he's bored."

"He's already planning on it," Jason confirms. "Ordered a nice webcam today so he could sign at you. He's a lot more comfortable that way."

"I've noticed," Will says. "Everyone's worried about me, but are you going to be alright with me stealing away your little brother?"

"I'll manage," Jason says with a grin. "You missed him realizing that Titus and Portia were going to stay here. He's tasked me with taking care of them, and making sure Titus gets all appropriate walks."

"No visiting the cow, either."

"Not sure he's realized that one."

Jason ends up leaving with the food, taking it to Joey and leaving Will to drift. He's already packed for the move into Dick's old room, but he ends up repacking it all into the suitcase that Slade's provided. Everything he owns fits comfortably into one particularly large suitcase, and he's careful with his things as he packs it all up, putting the more important valuables in the center. When he's done, he puts his suitcase in the hall beside the other three suitcases, and then goes to start dinner.

Bruce catches him before he can.

"Will," Bruce says, "moment of your time?"

Will feels like he has nothing  _ but _ time, so he ends up heading into Bruce's office, going over what amounts to paperwork with him. Bruce won't confirm who his team is, but he  _ does _ tell Will that his aide should have most of their files already.

"They can go over them when you arrive."

"So you're keeping it a surprise."

"I am absolutely keeping it a surprise," Bruce confirms, "but also some of them might still change."

"Lucky me."

There seems to be an awful lot of inane busywork for him to do. Bruce has him filling out paperwork for Blackgate so that Thomas is capable of video calling him during visiting hours, and promises to set up a standard time and let him know.

"For Damian," he says. "I don't think you feel any pressing need to interact with Thomas, but I know he'd like to catch up with his grandson now and again."

"I figured that out," Will says, feeling increasingly wary. Everything Bruce has him doing seems like things Bruce himself could have done, and every time Will thinks he's done, there's even more.

"Bruce," Will says midway through Bruce explaining some security protocols that Will already knows, "you're intentionally keeping me here, right?"

Bruce looks like he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and he's not even doing a particularly good job of hiding it.

"Yes," he admits. "It would be nice if you just stayed around for... I don't know, another half hour?"

"Then just say that," Will says. "You don't have to pretend. You can just  _ ask _ me to... stay in the office?"

Bruce nods, and Will wonders what exactly is going on. He has some speculation—going away party seems like the obvious choice—but the whole thing feels like unknown territory for him.

"Should I act surprised when we're done?"

"I wouldn't bother," Bruce says with a grin. "Everyone knows you're the kind of person to figure it out. I doubt anyone is actually expecting it to catch you off guard."

Well, at least they know what to expect from him.


	40. Chapter 40

Will doesn't bother to pretend to be surprised when someone knocks at the office door. Bruce gets up, gesturing for Will to go ahead, and Will opts to answer it, finding Damian outside. Jon's just behind him, looking like the person in the world who is the least likely to be able to keep a secret, and all of Damian's attempts to keep a straight face are doing nothing to hide that there's obviously about to be a surprise.

Probably in the kitchen.

Probably with the Kents.

"Right this way," Damian says, gesturing for Will to follow, and then marches towards the kitchen.

Will can smell the food long before he reaches it. It's a muddle of smells that he can identify only because he guessed what they'd be beforehand. Turkey. Sweet potato. Green beans. Stuffing. Cranberry.

Someone's made thanksgiving dinner, and when he enters the dining room to find everyone gathered around the table laden with food he feels a stir of something... something. He can't put a word to it, can't quite figure out what the feeling means.

Slade and Jason are there, with Damian and Bruce moving to join them. Joey and Tanya are there as well, and Joey looks  _ especially  _ tired. Tired enough that Will wonders just what he's been doing all day. Alfred's currently moving things from the kitchen to the table, but there's no way he put it all together by himself, which is why Will isn't surprised to see the entire Kent clan there, looking pleased with themselves.

"You won't be here for thanksgiving," Slade says, "so we thought we'd celebrate a bit early."

"Plus, this means we get two thanksgivings," Kara says. "Twice the food."

It turns out that that Martha and Jonathan Kent are terrors in the kitchen. The Turkey is Alfreds, but almost all the sides were handled by the Kents with help from their army of grandchildren. He gets settled down into a seat at the end of the table, and then everyone seems rather intent on making sure he eats a bit of everything before he goes.

The clones seem delighted by all the food, and Will realizes that for them, it's the first time they've had any of it. They've never had turkey or cranberries or stuffing, and a part of him is relieved when the table's attention turns to them, getting  _ them _ to eat a bit of everything just to see what they do and don't like.

Interestingly, despite being made from the same genetic template, each has their own specific quirks. Gar absolutely hates turkey, while most of the others seem neutral on it. Blue avoids the meats, while Ore seems most interested in the stuffing.

:"How're you adjusting?" Will asks Kara as everyone works their way through the meal.

"I've had plenty of experience making this kind of a change," Kara admits. "Kal— _ Clark _ —and Lois are very nice. And the boys are sweet, which is a real change of pace.

"Not used to having nephews?" Even if they're not literally her nephews, the relation is close enough.

"Not really," she admits. "Not like this. But Clark's honestly been great about things."

Will thinks they've got all the surprises out of the way, but as everyone wraps up their eating, Alfred dims the lights dramatically, and Will realizes that Joey's gone mysteriously missing.

"If I could have your attention, please," Alfred says, and a hush falls over the room. Will braces himself for whatever is coming, but already knows he's unprepared.

When Joey enters the dining room, he's holding a pie. Not just any pie, though: a pecan pie with a candle. An absolutely tiny candle that looks like it's been cut in half, and he moves right on over, setting it down in front of Will.

_ Happy halfversary,  _ Joey signs with a wink.  _ It's a little bit early, but I'm sure you don't mind. _

"A half a year," Clark says. "Feels like you've been here forever."

"Hard disagree," Jason says. "Feels like he's barely been here for any time at all."

There's some arguing back and forth about which is true, and Will takes advantage of the distraction to lean forward, blowing out his half-candle. Joey leans down, planting a kiss on the top of Will's head, and Will rolls his eyes.

_ I had a gift for you, _ Joey signs,  _ but I couldn't get it finished in time. Let me get the backup, and I'll send it with your supplies, alright? _

He darts out of the dining room as Alfred raises the lights, going to fetch a vastly inferior pumpkin pie and starting to pass slices out.

Will is working his way through his pecan pie when Joey returns with a neatly wrapped gift. Will goes to open it, but Joey bats his hands away.

_ It's a photo of us from our trip, _ Joey signs.  _ I already wrapped it so it won't break on your flight, but I wanted you to have something, okay? _

"So I don't even get to see it?"

Joey huffs, pulling out his phone and flicking through his album until he finds it. It's the photo of the two of them in front of the castle, both wearing their ears. It takes a moment for Will to realize what throws him off about the picture, and then realizes it's the fact that he's smiling and it  _ doesn't _ look forced.

"Thank you," Will says quietly, and then reaches up, pulling Joey into a hug.

A part of him—a big part of him—doesn't want to go. It would be so easy to simply stay there. To spend the rest of his life living in the manor with no expectations.

But that wouldn't be him. The need to prove himself—to establish himself as someone who can be trusted—is too great.

Even if the party is mostly about him, he's not the only one leaving. Jon has a number of small gifts from his extended family dropped in his lap. Tanya gets some gift from Bruce and Slade he misses the unwrapping of, but he doesn't miss when Damian gets a brand new sword from Slade.

Will no longer wonders why Slade give him Deathstroke back.

"Oh, one moment," Bruce says, excusing himself to the front office. When he returns, he's got a stack of passports and IDs, which he hands out carefully. Will has a passport to add to his existing ID, and he tucks it away carefully.

"Passport should cover your bases," Bruce says, "just in case. Your driver's license obviously isn't going to have as much value out of state."

Lois scrunches up her face, squinting at Bruce.

"...Did he actually take a driver's test."

"That's a no," Clark says with a laugh. "One of the provisions we set up was that if you were above a certain age, you could just get a driver's license for your state. A teenager getting their license a few years late isn't going to draw any attention. Someone like Thomas... Well, that would draw a lot of attention."

"I have to admit I'm still surprised you're past the  _ forging all documentation _ stage," Will says.

"Agreed," Tanya confirms. "I really expected to have to be a... a secret."

"It's a perk," Slade says. "It does make me wonder how many of your teammates will be here under it."

"Probably whoever Hal brings," Bruce says with a shrug. 

"And Diana and Arthur's choices," Damian says. Bruce shakes his head.

"Atlantis and Themyscira have passports of their own that are recognized by most countries. The extra-human initiative IDs are still an option for them if they need to deal with a country who hasn't started dealing with them, but if they're just visiting the US..."

"Yep, it's weird," Kara confirms. "But it's a nice weird, I guess? It's strange, but in a positive way."

They're all more or less finished their dessert when Bruce clears his throat, standing up.

"I wanted to thank everyone for coming," he says. "But those of us heading to the airport should be leaving shortly."

"Who's taking the second car?" Jason asks.

Bruce frowns.

"We've only got five people. We don't need a second car."

_ Five people and their luggage, _ Joey signs.  _ I can do it. _

"I was hoping to avoid making a scene at the airport," Bruce says carefully, "but as long as it's kept... discrete."

_ I can manage, _ Joey signs.

The longest goodbye isn't the Kents saying goodbye to Jon. The longest goodbye is Damian saying goodbye to Titus and Portia, and Will is really just surprised he doesn't make an attempt to hide them in his suitcase.

Alfred and Slade both give Will quick hugs, and Jason takes an air of mock seriousness.

"Take care of my little brother," he says solemnly.

"Take care of my son," Will says right back.

Jason laughs, pulling him into a hug, and then waves him off.

Will and Tanya ride along with Joey, loading their luggage into the back of the car while Jon and Damian go with Bruce. The ride is quiet, even subdued, and when Will sees the airport he feels his stomach flip.

He's never been uncomfortable leaving before, but he is right then. He pulls Joey into a hug before he can even finish unloading the car, holding him against him as he tries to stop his heart from pounding.

_ I'll miss you, _ Joey signs when they finally separate.  _ But I'll come visit, alright? Make sure you're keeping the kids in line. _

"Come any time you want," Will says. "Hell,  _ call _ any time you want."

_ I will, _ Joey signs.  _ Love you dad. _

"Love you too."

Joey turns to Tanya, and Will grabs their luggage, stacking it up on the curb. Damian, Jon, and Bruce are saying their goodbyes just behind them, and there's a quick swap as Joey goes to say goodbye to Damian and Jon. Bruce drifts over, saying a goodbye to Tanya, before turning to Will, looking him over.

After a moment, he claps him on the shoulder, giving him a smile.

"You'll be fine," he says.

"I know that," Will says with a grunt. "I've had a team before. I can handle a pack of kids."

Will goes stiff when Bruce pulls him into a hug, patting him on the back before pulling back.

"Call if you need anything," he says. "We'll always be willing to fly right out."

"I know, I know," Will says. "I don't doubt it, alright? Take care of everyone for me."

"Everyone will be fine. Take care of yourself, alright Will?"

Joey sneaks in between them, pulling Will down for another hug, and Will returns it immediately.

"I love you more than anything," Will says quietly, just for Joey to hear, and Joey squeezes him that much tighter.

"We should be going," Damian announces. "We still have to pass through security."

"Of course," Will says, breaking the hug.

"See you all whenever you decide to show up!" Jon calls, waving enthusiastically as everyone grabs their suitcases, pulling them towards the terminal. Will lingers, watching Joey climb into the car, give him one last wave, and pull away.

"Will!" Damian calls, and Will finally turns away, going after the kids.

He just has to keep his eyes facing forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part coming... Tonight, probably. 😉 Thanks to everyone for reading along!


End file.
